Resonance eigenfunctions in chaotic scattering systems

We study the semiclassical structure of resonance eigenstates of open chaotic systems. We obtain semiclassical estimates for the weight of these states on different regions in phase space. These results imply that the long-lived right (left) eigenstates of the non-unitary propagator are concentrated in the semiclassical limit ħ → 0 on the backward (forward) trapped set of the classical dynamics. On this support the eigenstates display a self-similar behaviour which depends on the limiting decay rate.