Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2013 / iii / Paper 64 / 1

Write $\mathrm{TV}(u)=|Du|(\Omega )$ for the total variation seminorm on a domain. For a locally integrable real function its dual definition isThe bounded-variation space consists of functions $u\in L^1(\Omega )$ with finite $|Du|(\Omega )$, equipped with $\Vert u{\Vert }_{BV}=\Vert u{\Vert }_1+|Du|(\Omega )$. In the equivalent distributional derivative description, $Du$ is a finite vector-valued Radon measure and $|Du|$ is its total variation measure.

To establish completeness of the bounded-variation space, let $(u_n)$ be Cauchy in this norm. Completeness of $L^1$ gives $u_n\to u$ in $L^1$. Given $\epsilon >0$, choose $N$ so that $\Vert u_n-u_m{\Vert }_{BV}<\epsilon$ whenever $m,n\ge N$. For fixed $n\ge N$, the given lower semicontinuity yieldsSince $\Vert u_n-u_m{\Vert }_1\to \Vert u_n-u{\Vert }_1$, we obtain $\Vert u_n-u{\Vert }_1+|D(u_n-u)|(\Omega )\le \epsilon$. In particular $u_n-u$ has finite variation; the triangle inequality then puts $u$ in the BV space. The same bound proves convergence in the full norm, so this is a Banach space.

For the disk data, put $B=B(0,R)$ and assume $\alpha >0$. The exact total variation denoising of a disk isHere $(s{)}_{+}=\max (s,0)$ is the positive part. A total variation calibration certifies global optimality, including competitors that are not radial or piecewise constant. Define the bounded vector fieldIt has $|z|\le 1$. Its normal component is continuous across the circle, so the distributional divergence has no extra boundary measure. Direct differentiation gives $q=\mathrm{div}z=(2/R){\chi }_B$. The dual definition implies $\int vq\le \mathrm{TV}(v)$: for the standard $BV\cap L^2$ domain one can cut $z$ off at radius $L$, with the error bounded by $C{L}^{-1}{\int }_{L<|x|<2L}|v|\to 0$, and then smooth the test field. In the larger homogeneous bounded-variation space, the same error is bounded by $C\Vert v{\Vert }_{L^2(L<|x|<2L)}\to 0$. Thus both usual whole-plane formulations give the same certificate.

Use the perimeter identity $\mathrm{TV}({\chi }_B)=2\pi R$ and $|B|=\pi R^2$. If $c=1-2\alpha /R>0$, then $\int c{\chi }_{B}q=2\pi Rc=\mathrm{TV}(c{\chi }_B)$ and $u_{\ast }-g+\alpha q=0$. Consequently every competitor $v$ satisfiesIf $\alpha \ge R/2$, replace $z$ by $z_{\alpha }=(R/(2\alpha ))z$. Its norm is still at most one, its divergence is $q_{\alpha }={\chi }_B/\alpha$, and equality in the calibration holds at $u_{\ast }=0$. The identical comparison proves optimality and uniqueness of zero, including the threshold $\alpha =R/2$. The only general results used are completeness of $L^1$, lower semicontinuity of variation, the indicator-perimeter identity, the distributional integration-by-parts/dual variation formula and the quadratic norm identity. For $\alpha =0$, the unique squared-error minimizer is simply $g$.