Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2017 / iii / Paper 340 / 1

Use the Fourier transform convention $\hat{f}(\xi )={\int }_{\mathbb{R}}f(x)e^{-ix\xi }dx$. An orthonormal multiresolution analysis is a family of closed vector subspaces $V_j\subset L^2(\mathbb{R})$, indexed by integers, with $V_j\subset V_{j+1}$, $\overline{{\bigcup }_j{V}_j}=L^2(\mathbb{R})$, and ${\bigcap }_j{V}_j=\{0\}$. Its dilation condition is $f\in V_j$ if and only if $f(2\cdot )\in V_{j+1}$. The space $V_0$ is invariant under integer function translations and admits a scaling function $\phi$ whose integer function translations form an orthonormal basis. Consequently ${\phi }_{j,k}=2^{j/2}\phi (2^j\cdot -k)$ form an orthonormal basis of $V_j$.

Since $\phi \in V_1$, expansion in that orthonormal basis gives the scaling refinement equationThe series converges in the L2 norm. The associated low-pass filter of a multiresolution analysis is the periodic Fourier series symbolInitially the symbol is defined almost everywhere. Orthonormal integer function translations give the quadrature mirror filter identity $|m(\xi ){|}^2+|m(\xi +\pi ){|}^2=1$ almost everywhere. For a Lebesgue integrable scaling function, its Fourier transform is continuous and $|\hat{\phi }(0)|=1$; choosing a constant phase makes $\hat{\phi }(0)=1$ and the continuous representative near zero has $m(0)=1$. Different conventions absorb $\sqrt{2}$ into the refinement coefficients; the displayed convention fixes that ambiguity.

Let $W_j=V_{j+1}\ominus V_j$ denote the orthogonal complement of $V_j$ inside $V_{j+1}$. The Meyer-Mallat theorem constructs a wavelet whose integer function translations form an orthonormal basis of $W_0$. Dilation then gives the orthogonal decomposition into orthogonal complements $L^2(\mathbb{R})={⨁}_{j\in \mathbb{Z}}{W}_j$, so its translates and dilates form an orthonormal wavelet basis.

Using the MRA low-pass filter, choose the high-pass symbol $n(\xi )=e^{-i\xi }\overline{m(\xi +\pi )}$. The quadrature mirror filter identity makes the two analysis channels orthonormal. The resulting Fourier transform formula isEquivalently, with the refinement coefficients from the scaling refinement equation, put $g_k=(-1{)}^{k-1}\overline{h_{1-k}}$ and $\psi (x)=\sqrt{2}{\sum }_k{g}_k\phi (2x-k)$. This index choice gives precisely the displayed high-pass symbol. Changing all $g_k$ by one constant unit phase gives the same orthonormal wavelet construction. In particular the often-used $(-1{)}^k\overline{h_{1-k}}$ convention differs only by a global minus sign. The basis is ${\psi }_{j,k}(x)=2^{j/2}\psi (2^{j}x-k)$ for $j,k\in \mathbb{Z}$.

A wavelet with $p$ vanishing moments satisfies $x^k\psi \in L^1$ and $\int x^k\psi (x)dx=0$ for $0\le k<p$. The moment differentiation of the Fourier transform theorem states that these weighted integrability hypotheses make $\hat{\psi }\in C^{p-1}$, with ${\hat{\psi }}^{(k)}(\xi )=\int (-ix{)}^k\psi (x)e^{-ix\xi }dx$. Hence ${\hat{\psi }}^{(k)}(0)=0$. The MRA projection Fourier identity, together with density of the approximation spaces and continuity of $\hat{\phi }$ at zero, gives $|\hat{\phi }(0)|=1$. These are the two analytic theorems needed in addition to the quadrature mirror filter construction.

For the ordinary derivative conclusion, assume also that the MRA low-pass filter is $C^{p-1}$ near $\pi$ and $\hat{\phi }$ is $C^{p-1}$ near zero. These hypotheses hold, for example, for a compactly supported scaling function with a finite refinement filter. The wavelet identity givesThe denominator is nonzero near zero. Its reciprocal and the exponential are $C^{p-1}$, so the product rule and the zero Taylor polynomial of $\hat{\psi }$ give the smooth-mask vanishing-moment criterion

The printed integrability hypothesis alone does not guarantee ordinary higher derivatives. It gives only a continuous $\hat{\phi }$. Without added smoothness, Taylor theorem for $\hat{\psi }$ still gives $m(\pi +t)=o(|t{|}^{p-1})$ for the representative defined by the quotient: a Peano zero. This establishes the value at $\pi$, and for $p\ge 2$ the first derivative there, but it does not automatically establish iterated derivatives.

Here is a lacunary scaling-phase regularity counterexample for $p\ge 3$. Start with a compactly supported Daubechies wavelet having $p$ vanishing moments, with scaling function ${\phi }_0$ and finite MRA low-pass filter $m_0$. Define the periodic phaseThe Fourier coefficients of $\theta$ are absolutely summable. The Wiener algebra is closed under multiplication and the exponential series, so $a$ and $a^{-1}$ have absolutely summable Fourier coefficients. Thus $\phi$ is an absolutely summable combination of integer function translations of ${\phi }_0$, belongs to $L^1\cap L^2$, and generates the same $V_0$. Unimodularity preserves orthogonality and unit norm of its integer function translations; the inverse phase preserves their complete span. The same approximation spaces therefore give a multiresolution analysis.

The identity $\theta (2t)=\theta (t)+\theta (t+\pi )$ gives $a(2t)=a(t)a(t+\pi )$, so the periodic phase change of a scaling function produces $m(t)=a(t+\pi )m_0(t)$. In the high-pass formula the phases cancel:The associated wavelet is therefore exactly the original one, with unchanged vanishing moments.

At any dyadic point $t_0=2\pi k/2^j$, the difference quotient of the terms with $j\le n\le {\log }_2(1/|h|)$ is $1+O((2^{n}h{)}^2)$ per term. The sum of these errors and the remaining tail divided by $h$ are bounded; the finitely many earlier terms have finite limits. Hence $(\theta (t_0+h)-\theta (t_0))/h={\log }_2(1/|h|)+O(1)$, which has no finite limit. The exponential has the same failure of differentiability. Dyadic points are dense, and $m_0(\pi +t)$ is nonzero for sufficiently small $t\ne 0$. Thus $m$ is not differentiable on any neighborhood of $\pi$, so an ordinary second derivative at $\pi$, understood as the derivative of a locally defined first derivative, need not exist. The Peano zero remains valid. This separates the intended smooth-mask theorem from what the literal assumptions establish.

Under the smoothness hypotheses in the smooth-mask vanishing-moment criterion, write any nonzero integer $j$ as $j=2^r\ell$, where $r\ge 0$ and $\ell$ is odd, possibly negative. Iterating the scaling refinement equation exactly $r+1$ times givesThe last MRA low-pass filter factor is $m(\pi \ell +t/2^{r+1})$. Its derivatives of all orders less than $p$ vanish at $t=0$, because $\ell$ is odd and the MRA low-pass filter is $2\pi$-periodic. If the remaining factors are $C^{p-1}$ at the displayed arguments, the product rule forces every derivative of order less than $p$ of the product to vanish. In particular compact support and a finite MRA low-pass filter supply all these hypotheses. Therefore the integer-frequency zeros of a scaling function are

Under only the printed assumptions, the exact same finite refinement argument gives the Peano zero $\hat{\phi }(2\pi j+t)=o(|t{|}^{p-1})$. Indeed, the last MRA low-pass filter factor has that estimate, the other MRA low-pass filter factors are bounded by one almost everywhere by the quadrature mirror filter identity, and the last Fourier transform factor is bounded because $\phi \in L^1$. The estimate initially holds almost everywhere and extends to every $t$ by continuity of $\hat{\phi }$. It does not imply arbitrary ordinary higher derivatives. In the lacunary scaling-phase regularity counterexample, $\hat{\phi }=a{\hat{\phi }}_0$ is nondifferentiable at dense dyadic points next to the isolated integer-frequency zeros of the smooth base transform. Thus the same regularity qualification is necessary here.