Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-year-2-of-the-natural-sciences-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2023/paper-1/4/a/solution

Let . Since , differentiation under the Fourier transform integral and integration by parts give
Thus . The Gaussian integral gives , proving the Fourier transform of a Gaussian formula
For the higher derivatives, start with . If , the product rule gives
If has degree and leading coefficient , the recurrence gives degree and leading coefficient . Induction proves the assertion for every . These polynomials are , where is the Probabilists' Hermite polynomial.

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