Complex geometric optics for symmetric hyperbolic systems I: linear theory

We obtain an asymptotic solution for $\ep \to 0$ of the Cauchy problem for linear first-order symmetric hyperbolic systems with oscillatory initial values written in the eikonal form of geometric optics with frequency $1/\ep$, but with complex phases. For the most common linear wave propagation models, this kind on Cauchy problems are well-known in the applied literature and their asymptotic theory, referred to as complex geometric optics, is attracting interest for applications. In this work, which is the first of a series of papers dedicated to complex geometric optics for nonlinear symmetric hyperbolic systems, we develop a rigorous linear theory and set the basis for the subsequent nonlinear analysis.