Math 2.0

Harmonic analysis on Euclidean spaces Fourier transform Example

Dirac comb

Builds on Dirac delta functionSchwartz spaceFourier transform of tempered distributionsPoisson summation formula

Example

Let T>0T > 0. The Dirac comb of period TT is the sum of Dirac deltas at the points kTkT, k∈ℤk \in \Z: III⁡T(φ)=∑k∈ℤφ(kT)for φ∈𝒮(ℝ),\operatorname{III}_T(\varphi) = \sum_{k \in \Z} \varphi(kT) \quad \text{for } \varphi \in \mathcal{S}(\R), where 𝒮(ℝ)\mathcal{S}(\R) is the Schwartz space. It is a tempered distribution. Indeed, ∣φ(kT)∣≤(1+k2T2)−1sup⁡x(1+x2)∣φ(x)∣\abs{\varphi(kT)} \le (1 + k^2 T^2)^{-1} \sup_x (1 + x^2) \abs{\varphi(x)}, so ∣III⁡T(φ)∣≤(∑k∈ℤ11+k2T2)(p0,0(φ)+p2,0(φ)),\abs{\operatorname{III}_T(\varphi)} \le \Big( \sum_{k \in \Z} \frac{1}{1 + k^2 T^2} \Big) \big( p_{0,0}(\varphi) + p_{2,0}(\varphi) \big), where pa,b(φ)=sup⁡x∣xaφ(b)(x)∣p_{a,b}(\varphi) = \sup_x \abs{x^a \varphi^{(b)}(x)}. This is a bound by finitely many Schwartz seminorms.

Remarks

Its Fourier transform, with the convention φ^(ξ)=∫φ(x)e−2πixξ dx\hat\varphi(\xi) = \int \varphi(x) e^{-2\pi i x \xi}\, dx, is again a Dirac comb: III⁡T^=1TIII⁡1/T.\widehat{\operatorname{III}_T} = \frac{1}{T} \operatorname{III}_{1/T}. This identity is a restatement of the Poisson summation formula ∑kφ(kT)=1T∑kφ^(k/T)\sum_k \varphi(kT) = \frac1T \sum_k \hat\varphi(k/T), applied to φ^\hat\varphi and using φ^^(x)=φ(−x)\hat{\hat\varphi}(x) = \varphi(-x). For T=1T = 1 the comb is its own Fourier transform.

Multiplying a function by III⁡T\operatorname{III}_T models sampling at spacing TT. By the identity above, sampling makes the spectrum periodic with period 1/T1/T, which is the mechanism behind aliasing and the sampling theorem.

Reading path

To understand this page from the ground up, read these 10 pages in order. The foundations come first.

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  1. Fourier series concept
  2. Fourier transform concept
  3. Fourier transform of tempered distributions concept
  4. Function concept
  5. Schwartz space concept
  6. Poisson summation formula statement
  7. Laplace transform definition
  8. Heaviside step function object
  9. Dirac delta function object
  10. Dirac comb example

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Further reading

  1. Web https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dirac_comb
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MSC42A38, 46F12, 94A20
Instance ofTempered distribution
UsesDirac delta function, Schwartz space, Fourier transform of tempered distributions, Poisson summation formula
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