Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2025 / iii / Paper 327 / 1 / b

If $u\in {\mathcal{E}}^{\prime }(\mathbb{R})$ solves $P(D)u=v$, Fourier transformation givesThe Paley–Wiener–Schwartz theorem makes $\hat{u}$ entire, so $\hat{v}/P$ is entire.

Conversely, suppose $F(z)=\hat{v}(z)/P(z)$ is entire. Polynomial division estimates away from the finitely many zeros of $P$, together with the maximum principle on fixed disks around those zeros, show that $F$ retains a Paley--Wiener--Schwartz bound, with only the polynomial exponent changed. The converse theorem therefore gives $u\in {\mathcal{E}}^{\prime }(\mathbb{R})$ with $\hat{u}=F$. Then $P(D)u=v$. Thus

No. Non-entireness rules out a compactly supported solution, but the Malgrange–Ehrenpreis theorem gives a distributional fundamental solution of a linear differential operator $E$ with $P(D)E=\delta$. Since $v$ has compact support, the convolution $u=E\ast v$ is defined and satisfiesOne may choose a tempered fundamental solution for a constant-coefficient operator, so $u\in {\mathcal{S}}^{\prime }(\mathbb{R})$.