On the High Energy Behavior of Nonlinear Functionals of Random Eigenfunctions on $\mathbb S^d$

Abstract

In this short survey we recollect some of the recent results on the high energy behavior (i.e., for diverging sequences of eigenvalues) of nonlinear functionals of Gaussian eigenfunctions on the $d$-dimensional sphere $\mathbb S^d$, $d\ge 2$. We present a quantitative Central Limit Theorem for a class of functionals whose Hermite rank is two, which includes in particular the empirical measure of excursion sets in the non-nodal case. Concerning the nodal case, we recall a CLT result for the defect on $\mathbb S^2$. The key tools are both, the asymptotic analysis of moments of all order for Gegenbauer polynomials, and so-called Fourth-Moment theorems.

6 pages. To appear in Proceedings of the 19th European Young Statisticians Meeting in Prague 2015