Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2012 iii Paper 68 3 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-07
A Schwartz function is a smooth function for which every seminormis finite. These seminorms define the Fréchet topology of the Schwartz space . The tempered distributions form its continuous linear dual . We use bilinear distribution pairing, with no complex conjugation on the test function.
Differentiation under the Fourier integral and integration by parts giveTherefore each Schwartz seminorm of is bounded by a finite sum of norms of polynomially weighted derivatives of . Insert the integrable weight to bound those norms by finitely many Schwartz seminorms. This proves that is continuous.
To justify inversion without a merely formal exchange of integrals, insert in the inverse integral. The Gaussian Fourier integral givesThe normalized Gaussian is an approximate identity, so the right side tends to ; the left side converges by dominated convergence theorem since is integrable. It follows thatReflection is continuous in Schwartz seminorms, so is continuous as well. This proves the Fourier transform isomorphism of the Schwartz space.
Define the distributional Fourier transform byIt agrees with the ordinary integral transform whenever Fubini applies. Transposing the Schwartz inverse gives an inverse on , and the same squared-transform identity holds. For the usual strong dual topology, a seminorm is for a bounded set . Since a continuous linear Schwartz map takes bounded sets to bounded sets, proves continuity, and similarly for the inverse. Continuity also holds in the weak dual topology. Thus the transform is a continuous isomorphism on tempered distributions, with the stated normalization.
For a real symmetric positive-definite matrix , there is with . The reciprocal is locally integrable in dimension three: the radial factor near zero is . At infinity, rapid decay of a Schwartz test function makes it integrable. More quantitatively,This single seminorm bound proves a tempered distribution. No principal-value extension is needed at the origin.
First calculate the isotropic transform. For and , spherical integration and the supplied sine-integral identity giveThe original functions converge in to by dominated convergence theorem against tests. The transforms are bounded by , which is locally integrable in three dimensions and integrable against Schwartz functions at infinity. HenceLet . The Jacobian is and the dual vector is . The Fourier transform of a reciprocal positive quadratic form is consequentlyThe frequency-origin value is understood distributionally; there is no additional delta term.
For the complex extension use a symmetric matrix with real symmetric and positive real part . Symmetry is natural for a quadratic form; a skew-symmetric part contributes nothing. The bound again gives a regular tempered reciprocal. Both sides of the prospective formula depend holomorphically on the matrix while its real part is positive: compact parameter sets give a common bound for pairing and differentiated integrands. Continue from the real positive matrices along . In a complex neighborhood of , imaginary gives real positive matrices, so the one-variable identity theorem supplies the equality; connected continuation along reaches .
The analytic determinant square root for accretive symmetric matrices must follow that continuation, rather than an arbitrary scalar principal root of . Explicitly, put and let its real eigenvalues be . Thenwhere each factor has positive real part. This is the determinant square root normalized positively on real positive matrices. AlsoThus the quadratic-form square root has the unambiguous branch with positive real part. The accretive complex quadratic reciprocal Fourier transform isUniform local integrability of the right side justifies its analytic continuation as a tempered distribution, not merely pointwise away from the origin.
For the particular form,Substitution gives the required normalized expressionFor every nonzero real , the radicand has positive real part, so the specified square root exists uniquely. Both sides are regular tempered distributions, despite their locally integrable singularities at zero.