 Vanishing moments and Fourier zeros

Use the Fourier transform convention $\hat{\psi }(\omega )=\int \psi (x)e^{-i\omega x}dx$. If $\psi$ and $x^r\psi$ for $r<q$ are integrable functions, moment differentiation of the Fourier transform yields a $C^{q-1}$ Fourier transform andThe dominated convergence theorem justifies these derivatives. Under these assumptions, $q$ vanishing moments are equivalent to vanishing derivatives through order $q-1$ at zero. For $q>1$ this gives a Peano zero $\hat{\psi }(\omega )=o(|\omega {|}^{q-1})$; for $q=1$ it gives $\hat{\psi }(\omega )=o(1)$. It does not by itself justify a $q$th derivative or an $O(|\omega {|}^q)$ estimate.

If also $\int |x{|}^q|\psi (x)|dx<\infty$, subtract the degree-$(q-1)$ Taylor polynomial of $e^{-i\omega x}$ inside the integral. Its Taylor remainder gives the stronger boundFor an integrable function with compact support, every weighted integral exists and its Fourier transform extends to an entire function. The language “zero of order at least $q$” is then literal analytic function terminology. If the next integral is nonzero, the order is exactly $q$. The smooth-mask vanishing-moment criterion relates these cancellations to a refinement mask under its additional hypotheses.^[ref]