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A compact convex set $K\subseteq {\mathbb{R}}^n$ is a compact set that is also a convex set. If $K$ is nonempty, its support function $H_K(\eta )={\max }_{x\in K}x\cdot \eta$ is finite in every direction. For such a nonempty $K$, every exterior point $x_0$ admits a strictly separating hyperplane: minimize $|x_0-y|$ over $y\in K$, and put $\omega =x_0-y$. Convexity and differentiation along the segment from $y$ to any $z\in K$ give $\omega \cdot (z-y)\le 0$, while $\omega \cdot (x_0-y)=|\omega {|}^2>0$. This is the separation used to recover spatial support from Fourier growth.

Use the Fourier transform convention $\hat{\phi }(\xi )=\int e^{-ix\cdot \xi }\phi (x)dx$, with inverse factor $(2\pi {)}^{-n}$. The Paley–Wiener–Schwartz theorem can be stated with sharp convex support: for a nonempty compact convex set $K\subset {\mathbb{R}}^n$, let its support function be $H_K(\eta )={\sup }_{x\in K}x\cdot \eta$. Then $F$ is the Fourier transform of a unique distribution supported in $K$ if and only if it is entire andfor some $C$ and nonnegative integer $M$. For $K={\overline{B}}_R$, this is the familiar bound $C(1+|z|{)}^M{e}^{R|\mathrm{Im}z|}$. Allowing some $R$ characterizes all compactly supported distributions. Here the extension of the Fourier transform is $F(z)=⟨u,e^{-ix\cdot z}⟩$, interpreted with a cutoff equal to one near the support of a distribution.

First suppose $\mathrm{supp}u\subset K$. Fix one smooth cutoff function equal to one near $K$. Pairing the resulting compactly supported exponential with $u$ shows that $F$ is an entire function: differentiation with respect to $z_j$ inserts $-i{x}_j$, and the power series converges in the test-function seminorms uniformly on compact subsets of ${\mathbb{C}}^n$.

To keep the exponential type exactly $H_K$, rather than that of a fixed larger neighborhood, use a shrinking-cutoff exponential-type estimate. There are cutoffs ${\chi }_{\epsilon }$ equal to one on $K+\epsilon B_1$, supported in $K+3\epsilon {\overline{B}}_1$, and satisfying $|{\partial }^{\alpha }{\chi }_{\epsilon }|\le C_{\alpha }{\epsilon }^{-|\alpha |}$ for $0<\epsilon \le 1$. One construction convolves the indicator of $K+2\epsilon B_1$ with a unit-mass mollifier supported in $\epsilon B_1$. Continuity of $u$ on a fixed compact neighborhood gives a finite order of a distribution $q$ there. By the product rule,Taking $\epsilon =(1+|z|{)}^{-1}$ proves the required bound with $M=2q$, since the extra exponential factor is at most $e^3$. The value of the pairing is independent of the chosen cutoff because all cutoffs agree near $\mathrm{supp}u$. Thus the forward direction has the exact asserted support function, without an unproved estimate on derivatives restricted only to $K$.

Conversely, suppose the entire $F$ has the stated bound. Its restriction to real frequency has polynomial growth, so define a tempered distribution $u$ byThe Schwartz space decay makes this integral absolutely convergent and continuous; by Fourier inversion, $\hat{u}=F$ on real frequency. It remains to prove the support assertion by mollifier regularization for contour recovery of support.

Choose a nonnegative unit-mass mollifier $\rho$ supported in $B_1$, and setOn real frequency, $F_{\epsilon }$ decays faster than any polynomial after enough applications of integration by parts to $\hat{\rho }$; hence $h_{\epsilon }$ is smooth, by differentiation under the integral sign. More generally, for every integer $L$ there is $C_{\epsilon ,L}$ such thatTo obtain this estimate, write the transform of ${\rho }_{\epsilon }$ as the real-frequency transform of $e^{x\cdot \eta }{\rho }_{\epsilon }(x)$ and integrate by parts; each derivative introduces at most one factor of $|\eta |$.

Fix a unit vector $v$ and take $L>M+n+1$. A contour-shift proof of the Paley–Wiener–Schwartz theorem moves the inverse-transform contour to ${\mathbb{R}}^n+itv$:Here is a justification of the shift. Rotate coordinates so $v$ is the first coordinate direction, apply the Cauchy integral theorem on a rectangle in the first complex variable, and integrate over the other real variables. For fixed $t$, the vertical sides at real part $\pm A$ have an integrated bound proportional to $A^{M-L+n-1}$, and hence vanish as $A\to \infty$. The same decay bounds give absolute convergence on the horizontal sides. No contour shift of an unregularized polynomially growing integral is needed.

Positive homogeneity of the support function now givesIf $x\notin K+\epsilon {\overline{B}}_1$, the Hahn-Banach separation theorem supplies a unit vector $v$ with $x\cdot v>H_K(v)+\epsilon$. Letting $t\to \infty$ proves $h_{\epsilon }(x)=0$. Therefore $h_{\epsilon }\in C_c^{\infty }$ and $\mathrm{supp}{h}_{\epsilon }\subset K+\epsilon {\overline{B}}_1$.

Since $\hat{\rho }(\epsilon \xi )\to 1$ and its modulus is at most one on real frequency, the dominated convergence theorem in the formula for $⟨u,\phi ⟩$ gives $h_{\epsilon }\to u$ as tempered distributions, and thus as distributions. A test function supported outside $K$ has positive distance from $K$, so its pairing with $h_{\epsilon }$ is zero for all sufficiently small $\epsilon$. This proves $\mathrm{supp}u\subset K$. The Fourier transform of a compactly supported distribution constructed in the forward direction equals $F$ on ${\mathbb{R}}^n$; applying the one-variable identity theorem successively in each coordinate extends the equality to ${\mathbb{C}}^n$. Injectivity of the Fourier transform of a tempered distribution proves uniqueness and completes both directions.

For the independence application, put $g_m(z)=e^{iz\cdot y_m}{f}_m(z)$ and $r_m=1/(m+1)$. The ball version of the Paley–Wiener–Schwartz theorem supplies a nonzero distribution $v_m$ supported in ${\overline{B}}_{r_m}(0)$ with ${\hat{v}}_m=g_m$. By the Translation property of the Fourier transform,where $⟨{\tau }_{y}v,\phi ⟩=⟨v,\phi (\cdot +y)⟩$. Distinct integer points are at least distance one apart. For distinct positive indices $j,k$, the largest possible radius sum is $1/2+1/3=5/6<1$. Thus these closed balls, and hence the distribution supports, are pairwise disjoint.

If ${\sum }_{m=1}^N{c}_m{f}_m=0$, injectivity of the Fourier transform gives ${\sum }_m{c}_m{w}_m=0$. For each $j$, choose a smooth cutoff function equal to one near its ball and zero near all other balls. Multiplying the distributional identity by this cutoff isolates $c_j{w}_j=0$. Since $f_j$ is not identically zero, $w_j\ne 0$, so $c_j=0$. Consequently $f_1,\dots ,f_N$ are linearly independent over $\mathbb{C}$. This Fourier independence from disjoint distribution supports uses the quantitative exponential types to establish support separation.

Use the Fourier transform convention $\hat{\phi }(\xi )=\int e^{-ix\cdot \xi }\phi (x)dx$ and $D_j=-i{\partial }_j$, so $\widehat{P(D)u}=P(\xi )\hat{u}$. All distribution pairings use complex bilinearity, and the formal transpose is $P(-D)$, without complex conjugation of the coefficients. If $D_j$ instead denotes ${\partial }_j$, the Fourier multiplier is $P(i\xi )$; the argument below is unchanged after this substitution.

For a nonempty compact convex set $K\subset {\mathbb{R}}^n$, let $H_K(\eta )={\sup }_{x\in K}x\cdot \eta$ be its support function. The Paley–Wiener–Schwartz theorem says that the Fourier transform is a bijection between distributions supported in $K$ and entire functions $F$ on ${\mathbb{C}}^n$ for whichfor some $C>0$ and nonnegative integer $N$. In particular, support in ${\overline{B}}_R$ is equivalent to the bound with $e^{R|\mathrm{Im}\zeta |}$. Convexity is essential in the precise support formulation: the support function of a set equals that of its convex hull.

Suppose first that $u$ is a compactly supported distribution with support in $K$. Define $F(\zeta )=⟨u,e^{-ix\cdot \zeta }⟩$, inserting any cutoff function equal to one near $K$ when viewing $u$ on test functions. A fixed cutoff and the finite order of a distribution estimate permit differentiation of the pairing in each complex variable, giving ${\partial }_{\zeta }^{\alpha }F=⟨u,(-ix{)}^{\alpha }{e}^{-ix\cdot \zeta }⟩$. The exponential function's power series converges with every required derivative on a fixed compact set; hence $F$ is an entire function. On real frequencies it agrees with the Fourier transform of a compactly supported distribution.

The exact exponential indicator needs a shrinking cutoff function, rather than one fixed outside $K$. Choose ${\chi }_{\epsilon }=1$ near $K$, with support in $K+B_{2\epsilon }$ and $\Vert {\partial }^{\alpha }{\chi }_{\epsilon }{\Vert }_{\infty }\le C_{\alpha }{\epsilon }^{-|\alpha |}$ for $0<\epsilon \le 1$. Such a cutoff is obtained by convolving the indicator of $K+B_{\epsilon }$ with a mollifier supported in $B_{\epsilon /2}$. On one fixed ball containing all these supports, the finite order of a distribution bound isThe Leibniz rule applied to $\theta ={\chi }_{\epsilon }{e}^{-ix\cdot \zeta }$ therefore givesTaking $\epsilon =(1+|\zeta |{)}^{-1}$ proves the required bound, with $N=2m$ and a fixed additional factor at most $e^2$.

Conversely, suppose $F$ is an entire function with the displayed bound. Its real restriction has polynomial growth, so its inverse Fourier transform defines a tempered distribution byRapid decay of the Schwartz function $\hat{\phi }$ makes this integral absolutely convergent and continuous in the Schwartz space topology.

To determine the support of a distribution, take a test function supported in a half-space $x\cdot \omega \ge H_K(\omega )+\delta$, where $|\omega |=1$ and $\delta >0$. The contour-shift proof of the Paley–Wiener–Schwartz theorem gives, for each $t\ge 0$,Here is the estimate that justifies both the shift and its limiting use. Since $\hat{\phi }(-\xi -it\omega )=\int e^{ix\cdot \xi }{e}^{-tx\cdot \omega }\phi (x)dx$, repeated integration by parts with $1-{\Delta }_x$ yieldsFor fixed $t$, the same estimate is uniform over the imaginary strip from $0$ to $t\omega$. Rotate coordinates so $\omega$ is the first coordinate direction, apply the Cauchy integral theorem on truncated rectangles, and let their real edges tend to infinity. If $2L>N+n$, the boundary integrals vanish and the horizontal integrals converge absolutely; thus the claimed shift is valid. Using $H_K(t\omega )=t{H}_K(\omega )$ now bounds the pairing bywhich tends to zero. A separating hyperplane exists at every point outside the compact convex set $K$. A finite partition of unity on the support of any exterior test function reduces it to such half-spaces, so $\mathrm{supp}u\subseteq K$. Fourier inversion gives uniqueness; the entire transform of this $u$ agrees with $F$ on ${\mathbb{R}}^n$ and hence everywhere, by applying the one-variable identity theorem successively in each coordinate. This completes both directions.

Now apply this theorem to compact support solvability for a constant-coefficient ordinary differential equation. If $P$ is a nonzero constant, its kernel is zero and $u=v/P$ is the unique solution. Otherwise writeThe solution space of $P(-D)\phi =0$ isIndeed these exponentials solve the equation, their initial derivative vectors have a nonzero Vandermonde determinant, and uniqueness for the order-$m$ ordinary differential equation makes them a basis. Pairing $P(D)u=v$ with any such solution proves necessity:

For sufficiency, choose $R$ with $\mathrm{supp}v\subseteq [-R,R]$ and let $V(\zeta )=⟨v,e^{-ix\zeta }⟩$. The assumed annihilation is precisely $V({\alpha }_j)=0$ for every $j$. Since all roots of a polynomial are simple, $U=V/P$ has removable singularities at every root and is an entire function. Outside one disk, $|P(\zeta )|\ge c(1+|\zeta |{)}^m$. Inside that disk, the extended $U$ is bounded. The polynomial division preservation of exponential type therefore givesThe Paley–Wiener–Schwartz theorem produces a compactly supported distribution $u$ with transform $U$, supported in the same interval. Then $\widehat{P(D)u}=PU=V$, so Fourier inversion gives $P(D)u=v$. ThusThe compactly supported solution is unique: $P\hat{u}=0$ forces the entire transform to vanish off the finitely many roots and hence everywhere. With repeated roots, the corresponding condition would also require derivatives $V^{(k)}(\alpha )=0$, or pairing with $x^k{e}^{-i\alpha x}$, up to one less than each multiplicity.

Let a distribution have support in a compact convex set $K$. Fixed neighborhood cutoffs initially give an exponential bound larger than the support function $H_K$. Cutoffs of width $\epsilon$ cost powers of ${\epsilon }^{-1}$ in derivative estimates but enlarge the exponential by only $e^{C\epsilon |\mathrm{Im}z|}$. Choosing $\epsilon =(1+|z|{)}^{-1}$ absorbs the cutoff cost into a polynomial and retains the exact exponential $e^{H_K(\mathrm{Im}z)}$.