L1-normalized dilation of a distribution 2026-10-25
For and , define by the displayed pairing. If is a regular distribution, this agrees with and preserves its L1 space norm. With the convention for dilation of a distribution, it equals .
If , the dominated convergence theorem givesThe constant distribution instead gives and has no limit in weak convergence of distributions.
Target: Restriction of a distribution. Parent: Distribution (mathematical analysis). Intended file: distribution-theory.bigb. Past exam of the distribution theory course of the University of Oxford 2023 2 a iii Solution 2026-10-25
The L1-normalized dilation of a distribution isFor a regular distribution this is the function . In terms of the wiki's dilation of a distribution convention, ; the normalization preserves the L1 space norm.
If , the dominated convergence theorem, with dominating integrable function , givesConsequentlyAn arbitrary distribution need not have this behavior. Take the constant regular distribution . Then , so for a test function with integral one,Hence .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2019 iii Paper 327 3 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-05
The Paley–Wiener–Schwartz theorem in its closed-ball form says that a tempered distribution is supported in if and only if its Fourier transform is the real restriction of an entire function on satisfying, for some and integer ,The distribution is unique by Fourier inversion. More generally a compact convex support set replaces by its support function .
For the forward implication, a compactly supported distribution has finite order of a distribution, say , on a fixed neighborhood of its support. Defineusing a cutoff equal to one near the support. Differentiation with respect to each complex coordinate is allowed in this pairing and gives , so is entire.
To obtain the exact radius , rather than an enlarged radius, choose a cutoff function equal to one near and supported in , with derivatives through order bounded by . Set . The finite-order bound and the Leibniz rule giveThis proves the required growth estimate.
For the converse, has at most polynomial growth on real frequencies, so define its inverse tempered distribution byLet a compactly supported test function lie in a half-space , with and . By contour shifting,Here is the decay needed to justify the shift and then let grow. Repeated integration by parts, applying to , gives for every integer ,Choose . For each fixed , this decay makes the vertical sides of a large rectangle vanish in the one complex coordinate parallel to ; Cauchy integral theorem then supplies the contour identity. Combining the two bounds yieldsThus vanishes on such test functions. Every point outside has a neighborhood of this form. A partition of unity therefore proves , completing the converse. The same argument with separating half-spaces proves the compact-convex-set form. This is the contour-shift proof of the Paley–Wiener–Schwartz theorem.
For a regular function , the change of variables givesThe map is continuous on the Schwartz space, so duality extends the dilation of a distribution toIts Fourier transform obeys . If the original support is in the unit ball, the theorem bounds by . HenceThe converse theorem gives the support law for distributional dilation
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2022 iii Paper 327 1 b i Solution 2026-09-28
Since maps the Schwartz space continuously to itself, the formuladefines a continuous linear functional on , hence a tempered distribution. For a locally integrable function , the change of variables formula givesso this dilation of a distribution agrees with ordinary function dilation.