Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2002/ib/paper-1/7b/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2002 ib Paper 1 7B Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-14
Fix real and use a rectangle with vertical sides at real coordinates . The function is entire, so its closed contour integral is zero by Cauchy's integral theorem. The bottom horizontal side contributes and the top contributes the negative of . This identity applies for either sign of , with the corresponding oriented rectangle.
On a vertical side, with , andThe sum of the two vertical integrals in absolute value is at most . Both horizontal improper integrals converge absolutely, since . Letting therefore provesComplete the square in the Fourier transform:The shifted-integral identity applies after scaling by . The Gaussian integral is : the square of becomes in polar coordinates. Thus the Gaussian Fourier transform yieldsThe eigenvalue reflects the unnormalized transform convention in this question.
New to topics? Read the docs here!