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Fix a rapidly decreasing function $\psi \in \mathcal{S}(\mathbb{R})$ with the properties that $\int_\mathbb{R} \psi = 0$, $\mathrm{Re}(\psi(\cdot))$ is an even function, and $\mathrm{Im}(\psi(\cdot))$ is an odd function.

Given any bounded integrable function $x \colon \mathbb{R} \to \mathbb{R}$, define \begin{align*} \hat{x}(\xi) \ :=& \ \int_\mathbb{R} x(\tau)e^{-2\pi i\xi\tau} \, d\tau \\ \mathring{x}(\xi,t) \ :=& \ \int_\mathbb{R} x(\tau)\psi(\xi(\tau-t)) \, d\tau \end{align*} for all $\xi,t \in \mathbb{R}$. (Obviously $\hat{x}$ is the Fourier transform; $\mathring{x}$ is a version of the wavelet transform.)

It is known that

$$ \hspace{20mm} \int_\mathbb{R} x(t)^2 \, dt \ = \ \int_\mathbb{R} |\hat{x}(\xi)|^2 \, d\xi \ = \ C_\psi\!\iint_{\mathbb{R}^2} |\mathring{x}(\xi,t)^2\xi| \, d\xi dt \hspace{18mm} (1) $$

where $C_\psi$ is a constant that depends only on $\psi$ and not on $x$, namely $$ C_\psi \ = \ \left( \int_\mathbb{R} \frac{\hat{\psi}(r)^2}{|r|} \, dr \right)^{\!-1}\,. $$ It is also known that the first equality in $(1)$ can be extended to the 3rd moment by

$$\hspace{26mm} \int_\mathbb{R} x(t)^3 \, dt \ = \ \iint_{\mathbb{R}^2} \hat{x}(\xi_1)\hat{x}(\xi_2)\overline{\hat{x}(\xi_1+\xi_2)} \, d\xi_1d\xi_2 \hspace{24mm} (2) $$

where the bar denotes complex conjugate. This naturally leads to the question of whether the second equality in $(1)$ can be extended to the 3rd moment; in case it helps, we can assume that $x$ is a test function:

Does there exist a function $f_\psi \colon \mathbb{R}^2 \to \mathbb{C}$ such that for every real-valued test function $x \in C_c^\infty(\mathbb{R},\mathbb{R})$, $$ \int_\mathbb{R} x(t)^3 \, dt \ = \ \iiint_{\mathbb{R}^3} \mathring{x}(\xi_1,t)\mathring{x}(\xi_2,t)\overline{\mathring{x}(\xi_1+\xi_2,t)} \, f_\psi(\xi_1,\xi_2) d\xi_1d\xi_2dt \, ? $$ (If not, then [a more open-ended question] are there reasonable conditions on $\psi$ under which one can find a function $f_\psi$ such that the above equality "approximately" holds?)

A little bit of numerical experimentation by a friend and myself seems to suggest that the function $$ f_\psi(\xi_1,\xi_2) \ = \ D_\psi\mathbf{1}_{[0,\infty)\times[0,\infty)\!}(\xi_1,\xi_2)(\xi_1+\xi_2) $$ might work for some constant $D_\psi \in \mathbb{C}$.

[Remark. In all the above formulae (except possibly the unknown formula in the question itself), one only needs to consider positive $\xi$-values:

  • $\int_\mathbb{R} |\hat{x}|^2 = 2\int_{[0,\infty)} |\hat{x}|^2$;
  • $\int_{\mathbb{R}^2} \mathcal{B}x = 6\int_{[0,\infty)\times[0,\infty)} \mathcal{B}x\ $ where $\mathcal{B}x$ is the integrand in the RHS of $(2)$;
  • due to our assumptions on the symmetry of $\psi$, $\int_\mathbb{R} |\mathring{x}(\xi,t)^2\xi| \, d\xi = 2\int_{[0,\infty)} |\mathring{x}(\xi,t)|^2\xi \, d\xi$;

this is why my conjectured form of $f_\psi$ is restricted to nonnegative $\xi$-values.]


UPDATE: I must admit, it is starting to look unlikely to me that a function $f_\psi$ with the desired property exists. I think I can show that \begin{align*} \mathrm{RHS} &= \iint_{\mathbb{R}^2} \frac{-f_\psi(\xi_1,\xi_2)}{\xi_1\xi_2(\xi_1\!+\xi_2)} \iint_{\mathbb{R}^2} \hat{\psi}(\tfrac{\omega_1}{\xi_1})\hat{\psi}(\tfrac{\omega_2}{\xi_2})\hat{\psi}(\tfrac{{\color{blue}\omega_{{\color{blue}1}}}{\color{blue}+}{\color{blue}\omega_{{\color{blue}2}}}}{{\color{blue}\xi_{{\color{blue}1}}}{\color{blue}+}{\color{blue}\xi_{{\color{blue}2}}}}) \hat{x}(\omega_1)\hat{x}(\omega_2)\hat{x}(\omega_1\!+\omega_2) \, d\omega_1d\omega_2 \, d\xi_1d\xi_2 \\ \mathrm{LHS} &= \iint_{\mathbb{R}^2} \ \ \frac{D_\psi}{\xi_1\xi_2} \ \iint_{\mathbb{R}^2} \hat{\psi}(\tfrac{\omega_1}{\xi_1})\hat{\psi}(\tfrac{\omega_2}{\xi_2})\hat{\psi}(\tfrac{{\color{blue}\omega_{{\color{blue}1}}}}{{\color{blue}\xi_{{\color{blue}1}}}} {\color{blue}+} \tfrac{{\color{blue}\omega_{{\color{blue}2}}}}{{\color{blue}\xi_{{\color{blue}2}}}}) \hat{x}(\omega_1)\hat{x}(\omega_2)\hat{x}(\omega_1\!+\omega_2) \, d\omega_1d\omega_2 \, d\xi_1d\xi_2 \end{align*} where $D_\psi$ is some constant.

After the inner double integral, the only difference between the two formulae is what is highlighted in blue. If it were not for this difference, the conjectured solution $f_\psi=\mathrm{cst}\!\cdot\!(\xi_1+\xi_2)$ would work.

However, I think I can also show that the conjectured solution is guaranteed to give $0$ rather than $\int_\mathbb{R} x(t)^3 \, dt$.

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    $\begingroup$ There was an important typo that I've now corrected: $\xi$ is not squared in the integrand of the rightmost-hand side of $(1)$. $\endgroup$ Commented Feb 23, 2018 at 16:26
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    $\begingroup$ This the best I can come up with (using Morlet's reconstruction formula), four integrals instead of three: $$\int_{-\infty}^\infty x(t)^3\,dt=\frac{1}{D^3_\psi}\int_{-\infty}^\infty dt\int_0^\infty d\xi_1\int_0^\infty d\xi_2\int_0^\infty d\xi_3$$ $$\xi_1^{-3/2}\xi_2^{-3/2}\xi_3^{-3/2}\mathring{x}(\xi_1,t)\mathring{x}(\xi_2,t)\mathring{x}(\xi_3,t)$$ $\endgroup$ Commented Feb 27, 2018 at 13:07
  • $\begingroup$ Thanks, this is a very insightful first step. By the way, where you write $\xi_1^{-3/2}\xi_2^{-3/2}\xi_3^{-3/2}$, I think it should just be $\xi_1\xi_2\xi_3$; for the sake of analogy with the Fourier transform, I have not defined the wavelet transform in quite the standard way. $\endgroup$ Commented Feb 27, 2018 at 14:17
  • $\begingroup$ Since the Morlet reconstruction formula can be used to obtain the first moment and the more standard reconstruction formula is used to derive the second moment (Kaiser, p69), perhaps the general reconstruction formula in Note 2 of the top answer at math.stackexchange.com/questions/579199/… can be used to obtain the answer to my question. $\endgroup$ Commented Feb 27, 2018 at 14:26
  • $\begingroup$ Unfortunately, I think I can prove that my conjectured answer just integrates to give $0$. $\endgroup$ Commented Mar 2, 2018 at 22:06

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