Abstract
The eigenfrequencies associated to a damped wave equation are known to belong to a band parallel to the real axis. Under the assumption of periodicity of the geodesic flow we study the asymptotic distribution of the eigenfrequencies in the band. We show that the set of eigenfrequencies exhibits a cluster structure determined by the Morse index of the closed geodesics and the damping coefficient averaged along the geodesic flow. The asymptotics for the multiplicities of the clusters are also obtained.