The Schwartz space and the Fourier transform

Jordan Bell
jordan.bell@gmail.com
Department of Mathematics, University of Toronto
August 12, 2015

Schwartz functions

Let S (Rn ) be the collection of Schwartz functions Rn C. For p 0 and

S , write
X Z
2
kkp =
(1 + |x|2 )p |(D )(x)|2 dx.
||p

Rn

With the metric

d(, ) =

2p

p0

k kp
1 + k kp

S is a Frechet space.
For a multi-index and for S , x 7 x (x) belongs to S and we define
X : S S by (X )(x) = x (x). D S and
X Z
2
2
kD kp =
(1 + |x|2 )p |(D+ )(x)|2 dx kkp+|| .
||p

Because |{ : || = k}| =

R
n+k1
k

1
,


|{ : }| |{ : || ||}|


n + ||
.
||

The product rule states

D (f g) =

X  

(D f )(D g),

1 Arthur T. Benjamin and Jennifer J. Quinn, Proofs that Really Count: The Art of Combinatorial Proof, p. 71, Identity 143 and p. 74, Identity 149.

and with the Cauchy-Schwarz inequality we obtain for || p,


2
X  






(D )(D
|D (X )| = 
X )



 X  2
n+p

|D |2 |D X |2 ,

||p

and with this

2

kX kp =

X Z
||p

X Z
||p

(1 + |x|2 )p |(D (X ))(x)|2 dx

Rn

(1 + |x|2 )p

Rn

2
Cp kkp+||

n+p
p

 X  2

|D |2 |D X |2 dx

||p

For g, S we have g S , and using the product rule we get

2

kgkp Cp,g kkp .

Therefore,
7 D ,

7 X ,

7 g

are continuous linear maps S S .

Tempered distributions

For u : S C, we write
h, ui = u().
S denotes the dual space of S , and the elements of S 0 are called tempered
distributions. We assign S 0 the weak-* topology, the coarsest topology on
S 0 such that for each S the map u 7 h, ui is continuous S 0 C.
For S , we define : S C by
Z
h, i =
(x)(x)dx,
S,
0

Rn

and by the Cauchy-Schwarz inequality,

Z
1/2 Z
2
| h, i |
|(x)| dx
Rn

Rn

|(x)| dx

1/2
= kk0 kk0 ,

whence S 0 . It is apparent that 7 is linear. Suppose that i

in S , and let S . Then
| h, i i h, i | = | h, i i | ki k0 kk0 0,
2

which
R shows that 7 is continuous. If = 0, then in particular = 0,
i.e. Rn |(x)|2 dx = 0, which implies that (x) = 0 for almost all x and because
is continuous, = 0. Therefore, 7 is a continuous linear injection
S S 0 . It can be proved that (S ) is dense in S 0 .2
For a multi-index and u S 0 , we define D u : S C by
h, D ui = (1)|| hD , ui ,

S.

For i in S , because D : S S and u : S C are continuous,

hi , D ui = (1)|| hD i , ui (1)|| hD , ui = h, D ui ,
and therefore D u S 0 .
We define X u : S C by
h, X ui = hX , ui ,

S.

For i in S ,
hi , X ui = hX i , ui hX , ui = h, X ui ,
and therefore X u S 0 .
For g S , we define gu : S C by
h, gui = hg, ui ,

S.

For i in S ,
hi , gui = hgi , ui hg, ui = h, gui ,
and therefore gu S 0 .
For S , integrating by parts yields
h, D i = (1)|| hD , i
Z
||
= (1)
(D )(x)(x)dx
Rn
Z
=
(x)(D )(x)dx
Rn

= h, D i ,
which implies that D = D .

x (x)(x)dx = h, X i ,

h, X i = hX , i =
Rn

which implies that X = X .

2 Michael Reed and Barry Simon, Methods of Modern Mathematical Physics, volume I:
Functional Analysis, revised and enlarged edition, p. 144, Corollary 1 to Theorem V.14.

Z
h, g i = hg, i =

g(x)(x)(x)dx = h, g i ,
Rn

which implies that g = g .

Because 7 D , 7 X , and 7 g are continuous linear maps
S S and because : S S 0 is a continuous linear map with dense
image, using the above it is proved that
u 7 D u,

u 7 X u,

u 7 gu

are continuous linear maps S 0 S 0 .3

The Fourier transform

For Borel measurable functions f, g : Rn C, for those x for which the integral
exists we write
Z
Z
(f g)(x) =
f (x y)g(y)dy =
f (y)g(x y)dy,
x Rn ,
Rn

Rn

and for those Borel measurable f, g : Rn C for which the integral exists we
write
Z
hf, giL2 =
f (x)g(x)dx.
Rn

For R we define

e (x) = e2ix ,

x Rn ,

and for S we calculate, integrating by parts,

(D ) e = (2i) e .
We define F : Rn C by
Z
Z
(F )() = h, e iL2 =
(x)e (x)dx =
Rn

which we can write as

Z
( e )(0) =

e2ix (x)dx,

Rn ,

Rn

Z
(y)e (y)dy = (F )().

(y)e (y)dy =

Rn

Rn

By Fubinis theorem,

(x y)e (x)dx dy
n
Rn
ZR

Z
=
(y)
(x)e (x + y)dx dy,

F ( )() =

Z

(y)

Rn

Rn

3 Richard Melrose, Introduction to Microlocal Analysis, http://math.mit.edu/ rbm/iml/

~
Chapter1.pdf, p. 17.

whence
F ( ) = (F )(F ).
We calculate
F (D )() = ((D ) e )(0) = ((2i) e )(0) = (2i) (F )(),
whence
F (D ) = (2i)|| X F .
It follows from the dominated convergence theorem
Z

(D F )() =
(2ix) e2ix (x)dx
Rn
Z
= (2i)||
e2ix x (x)dx
Rn
||

= (2i)

F (X )().

Therefore
F D = (2i)|| X F ,

D F = (2i)|| F X .

(1)

Using the multinomial theorem,

(1 + || ) |(D F )()| =
2 p

p  
X
p
k=0
p 
X
k=0

p 
X

k
p
k

||2k |(D F )()|2

 X  
k 2
|(D F )()|2

||=k


 
p X k
|( D F )()|2 .
k

||=k

k=0

Applying (1),
|( D F )()| = (2)|| (2)|| |(F D X )()|.
Then
2
kF kp

X Z
||p

p   X  
X
p
k
|( D F )()|2 d
k

Rn

X Z
||p

(1 + ||2 )p |(D F )()|2 d

Rn

||=k

k=0

2||

(2)

||p

p  
X
p
k=0

2k

(2)

X k  Z
|(F D X )()|2 d.
Rn

||=k

Applying the Plancherel theorem, the product rule, and the Cauchy-Schwarz
inequality yields
Z
Z

2
|(F D X )()| d =
|(D X )()|2 d
Rn

Rn


2


X



(D X )(D
=
) d

n
R 

Z X
X

|(D X )()|2
|(D )()|2 .
Z

Rn

This yields
kF kp Cp kkp ,
whence F : S S is continuous.
For p > n/2, using the Cauchy-Schwarz inequality and spherical coordinates4
we calculate
Z
|(F )()|
(1 + |x|2 )p/2 (1 + |x|2 )p/2 |(x)|dx
Rn

1/2 Z
(1 + |x|2 )p dx

Z

Rn

Z

1/2

Rn

2 p

(1 + r )
0

(1 + |x|2 )p |(x)|2 dx

dr

n1

S n1

n/2 p
(p)
n/2 p
(p)

1/2 Z

2 p

(1 + |x| ) |(x)| dx

dr
Rn

n
2

!1/2 Z

1/2
(1 + |x|2 )p |(x)|2 dx

Rn
n
2

!1/2
kkp .

4 http://individual.utoronto.ca/jordanbell/notes/sphericalmeasure.pdf

1/2