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27 votes
2 answers
8k views

Compact embeddings of Sobolev spaces: a counterexample showing the Rellich-Kondrachov theorem is sharp

Let $U$ be an open bounded subset of $\mathbb{R}^n$ with $C^{1}$ boundary. Let $1 \leq p < n$ and $p^{\ast} = pn/(n-p)$. Then the Sobolev space $W^{1,p}(U)$ is contained $L^{p^{\ast}}(U)$ and ...
NPC's user avatar
  • 309
27 votes
4 answers
8k views

Proofs of Young's inequality for convolution

For $1\leq p,q \leq \infty$ such that $\frac1p +\frac1q\geq 1$, Young's inequality states $\|f\star g\|_r\leq \|f\|_p\|g\|_q$ (we work on $\mathbf{R}^d$ here), where $1+\frac1r = \frac1p+\frac1q$. ...
Ayman Moussa's user avatar
  • 3,425
27 votes
3 answers
5k views

Weak and Strong Integration of vector-valued functions

This is probably an elementary question, but outside my area of expertise, and I was unable to find any suitable reference: Suppose $f:X\to E$ is a continuous function from a compact spaces (endowed ...
Hadi's user avatar
  • 741
27 votes
1 answer
1k views

Do Sobolev spaces contain nowhere differentiable functions?

Does the Sobolev space $H^1(R^n)$ of weakly differentiable functions on a bounded domain in $R^n$ (or a more general Sobolev space) contain a continuous but nowhere differentiable function?
Arnold Neumaier's user avatar
27 votes
1 answer
2k views

Linear combination of sine and cosine

I was explaining to my students the other day why $\cos(2x)$ is not a linear combination of $\sin(x)$ and $\cos(x)$ over $\mathbb{R}$. Besides the canonical method of using special values of sine and ...
Hua Wang's user avatar
  • 960
27 votes
2 answers
5k views

What can be said about the Fourier transforms of characteristic functions?

What can be said about the Fourier transform of the characteristic function $1_A$, where $A\subset \mathbb{R}^n$ is of finite Lebesgue measure? In particular, What properties are common to ...
Joni Teräväinen's user avatar
27 votes
1 answer
4k views

Criteria for boundedness of power series

Consider a power series $\sum_{n=0}^{\infty} a_n x^n$ that is convergent for all real x, thus defining a function $f: \mathbb{R} \to \mathbb{R}$. Can one give necessary and sufficient criteria the ...
Andreas Rüdinger's user avatar
27 votes
1 answer
1k views

The dual of $\mathrm{BV}$

$\DeclareMathOperator\BV{BV}\DeclareMathOperator\SBV{SBV}$I'm going to let $\BV := \BV(\mathbb{R}^d)$ denote the space of functions of bounded variation on $\mathbb{R}^d$. My question concerns the ...
Gary Moon's user avatar
  • 683
27 votes
0 answers
1k views

Unital $C^{*}$ algebras whose all elements have path connected spectrum

A unital $C^{*}$ algebra is called a "Path connected algebra" if the spectrum of all its elements is a path connected subset of $\mathbb{C}$. What is an example of a non commutative ...
Ali Taghavi's user avatar
26 votes
6 answers
8k views

prime ideals in C([0,1])

It is clear that each maximal ideal in ring of continuous functions over $[0,1]\subset \mathbb R$ corresponds to a point and vice-versa. So, for each ideal $I$ define $Z(I) =\{x\in [0,1]\,|\,f(x)=0, ...
Nikita Kalinin's user avatar
26 votes
3 answers
16k views

the dual space of C(X) (X is noncompact metric space)

It is well known that when $X$ is a compact space (or locally compact space), the dual space of $C(X)=\{f |f: X\rightarrow \mathbb{C} \text{ is continuous and bounded} \}$ is $M(X)$, the space of ...
yaoxiao's user avatar
  • 1,706
26 votes
6 answers
5k views

Parametrization of the boundary of the Mandelbrot set

Does anyone know how to parametrize the boundary of the Mandelbrot set? I am not a fractal-geometer or a dynamical systems person. I just have some idle curiosity about this question. The ...
David Richter's user avatar
26 votes
2 answers
5k views

Does Arzelà-Ascoli require choice?

Inspired by a recent Math.SE question entitled Where do we need the axiom of choice in Riemannian geometry?, I was thinking of the Arzelà--Ascoli theorem. Let's state a very simple version: ...
Nate Eldredge's user avatar
26 votes
4 answers
5k views

Can $L^{2}$ be represented as a space of functions (not equivalence classes)?

Let $X$ be the vector space of all Lebesgue-measurable functions $f:\left[a,b\right]\rightarrowℝ$ such that $\int^{b}_{a}\left|f\left(x\right)\right|^{2}dx<\infty$ (Lebesgue integral). Then we can ...
Keshav Srinivasan's user avatar
26 votes
2 answers
6k views

Understanding a simplifying assumption in proof of the invariant subspace problem

In a recent preprint On the invariant subspace problem in Hilbert spaces Per H. Enflo claims to have solved the invariant subspace problem, showing that every bounded linear operator on a separable ...
Federico's user avatar
  • 423
26 votes
3 answers
2k views

About the category of von neumann algebras

I am looking for one (or more) reference about properties of the category of von Neumann algebra. More precisely, in an answer of a previous question, Dmitri Pavlov mentions that the $W^*$ category ...
Oliver's user avatar
  • 357
26 votes
3 answers
7k views

Dual of bounded uniformly continuous functions

Let $(X,d)$ be a metric space, and let $C_u(X)$ be the Banach space of bounded uniformly continuous functions on $X$ (with the uniform norm). How can I characterize its dual space $C_u(X)^*$? I ...
Nate Eldredge's user avatar
26 votes
2 answers
3k views

Corollaries of the Yoneda Lemma in Analysis?

This is a cross-post of my ~2 weeks (canonically) unanswered question on Math.SE: https://math.stackexchange.com/questions/1830287/corollaries-of-the-yoneda-lemma-in-analysis. I am looking for some ...
Chill2Macht's user avatar
  • 2,680
26 votes
2 answers
1k views

Origin and first uses of $\ell_p$ norms?

When exactly were $\ell_p$ norms first defined and used? (Here is what I know, or think I know: Lebesgue and/or Riesz had something to do with them, but in some sense they go back to Minkowski, since ...
H A Helfgott's user avatar
  • 20.2k
26 votes
2 answers
3k views

Image of L^1 under the Fourier Transform

The Fourier Transform $\mathcal{F}:L^1(\mathbb{R})\to C_0(\mathbb{R})$ is an injective, bounded linear map that isn't onto. It is known (if I remember correctly) that the range isn't closed, but is ...
Francis Adams's user avatar
26 votes
3 answers
2k views

Universality of zeta- and L-functions

Voronin´s Universality Theorem (for the Riemann zeta-Function) according to Wikipedia: Let $U$ be a compact subset of the "critical half-strip" $\{s\in\mathbb{C}:\frac{1}{2}<Re(s)<1\}$ with ...
M.G.'s user avatar
  • 7,127
26 votes
1 answer
820 views

The maximal "nearly convex" function

The following problem is only tangentially related to my present work, and I do not have any applications. However, I am curious to know the solution -- or even to see a lack thereof, indicating that ...
Seva's user avatar
  • 23k
26 votes
2 answers
1k views

Symmetric strengthening of the Cauchy-Schwarz inequality

In this great question by Nathaniel Johnston, and in its answers, we can learn the following remarkable inequality: For all $v,w \in \mathbb{R}^n$ we have \begin{align*} \|v^2\| \, \|w^2\| - \langle ...
Jochen Glueck's user avatar
26 votes
2 answers
2k views

When is a locally convex topological vector space normal or paracompact?

All locally convex topological vector spaces (LCTVS) are completely regular, since their topology is given by a family of semi-norms. I'm interested in conditions that imply that a LCTVS is ...
Andrew Stacey's user avatar
26 votes
1 answer
1k views

Why are quasitopological spaces needed in sheaf theoretic approaches to the h-principle?

Recently I have been learning more about the h-principle and in particular the methods of "continuous sheaves". In many treatments of this I see people using "quasi-topological spaces" and I am trying ...
Chris Schommer-Pries's user avatar
26 votes
3 answers
11k views

L1 distance between gaussian measures

L1 distance between gaussian measures: Definition Let $P_1$ and $P_0$ be two gaussian measures on $\mathbb{R}^p$ with respective "mean,Variance" $m_1,C_1$ and $m_0,C_0$ (I assume matrices have full ...
robin girard's user avatar
25 votes
16 answers
4k views

functions satisfying "one-one iff onto"

Hello Everybody. I need some more examples for the following really interesting phenomenon: A function from the class ... is one-one iff it is onto. Some ...
25 votes
6 answers
15k views

Does every distribution define a Radon measure?

On the one hand, Wikipedia suggests that every distribution defines a Radon measure: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distribution_(mathematics)#Functions_as_distributions (revision from February 2010, ...
Tom Ellis's user avatar
  • 2,895
25 votes
2 answers
4k views

Understanding of rough path

A rough path is defined as an ordered pair $ (X, \mathbb X)$, where $X$ is a path mapping from $[0,T]$ to some Banach space $V$ and $\mathbb X:[0,T]^2 \mapsto V^2$ is another mapping for additional ...
kenneth's user avatar
  • 1,399
25 votes
2 answers
4k views

Dual of the space of Hölder continuous functions?

Let $X=C^{\alpha}(\Omega,\mathbb{R})$ be the space of Hölder continuous functions. What is its dual?
warsaga's user avatar
  • 1,256
25 votes
5 answers
6k views

When I can safely assume that a function is a Laplace transform of other function?

If I have a function and I want to represent it as being the Laplace transform of another, that is, I want to be sure that there is $\hat{f}(s)$ such that my function $f(x)$ can be written as: $$f(x) =...
Rorsa's user avatar
  • 923
25 votes
1 answer
3k views

Does there exist a measurable function which is not a.e. "strongly" measurable?

More specifically, letting $I=[0,1]$, do there exist $f,E$ with $E$ a (necessarily nonseparable) Banach space and $f$ a bounded Lebesgue measurable function $I\to E$ such that $f$ is not equal almost ...
TaQ's user avatar
  • 3,584
25 votes
2 answers
2k views

$f^3,f^2$ are the cube and quadratic of f respectively and both infinite differentiable on $R$,how to show so is $f$

Let $f$ be a real function with domain R. If $f^2$ and $f^3$ are both infinitely differentiable on R, how to prove $f$ is infinitely differentiable on R? I have been thinking about this problem for a ...
bo.gu's user avatar
  • 295
25 votes
2 answers
1k views

Can nuclearity be determined by tensoring with a single C*-algebra?

A C*-algebra is nuclear if the algebraic tensor product $A\odot B$ ($B$ is any other C*-algebra) admits a unique C*-norm. This definition requires testing the condition for nuclearity with `all' C*-...
Lech Roch's user avatar
  • 505
25 votes
6 answers
3k views

Quantum fields and infinite tensor products

As I understand it, a naive interpretation of the state space of a quantum field theory is an infinite tensor product $$\otimes_{x\in M} H_x,$$ where $x$ runs over the points of space. This ...
Minhyong Kim's user avatar
  • 13.6k
25 votes
2 answers
2k views

Functional approach vs jet approach to Lagrangian field theory

Context: I am a PhD student in theoretical physics with higher-than-average education on differential geometry. I am trying to understand Lagrangian and Hamiltonian field theories and related concepts ...
Bence Racskó's user avatar
25 votes
3 answers
13k views

Fourier transform of the unit sphere

The Fourier transform of the volume form of the (n-1)-sphere in $\mathbf R^n$ is given by the well-known formula $$ \int_{S^{n-1}}e^{i\langle\mathbf a,\mathbf u\rangle}d\sigma(\mathbf u) = (2\pi)^{\nu ...
Francois Ziegler's user avatar
25 votes
1 answer
8k views

Convergence of Fourier Series of $L^1$ Functions

I recently learned of the result by Carleson and Hunt (1968) which states that if $f \in L^p$ for $p > 1$, then the Fourier series of $f$ converges to $f$ pointwise-a.e. Also, Wikipedia informs me ...
Jesse Madnick's user avatar
24 votes
4 answers
3k views

Why the sequence of Bernstein polynomials of $\sqrt x$ is increasing?

Bernstein polynomials preserves nicely several global properties of the function to be approximated: if e.g. $f:[0,1]\to\mathbb R$ is non-negative, or monotone, or convex; or if it has, say, non-...
Pietro Majer's user avatar
  • 60.5k
24 votes
2 answers
2k views

Is the Invariant Subspace Problem arithmetic?

Invariant Subspace Conjecture: A bounded operator on a separable Hilbert space has a non-trivial closed invariant subspace. Can this conjecture be reformulated as an arithmetic statement, that is, $\...
Alex Gavrilov's user avatar
24 votes
4 answers
3k views

What is the shortest route to Roth's theorem?

Roth first proved that any subset of the integers with positive density contains a three term arithmetic progression in 1953. Since then, many other proofs have emerged (I can think of eight off the ...
Thomas Bloom's user avatar
  • 7,013
24 votes
3 answers
4k views

Self-dual normed spaces which are not Hilbert spaces

Are there any examples of non-Hilbert normed spaces which are isomorphic (in the norm sense) to their dual spaces? Or, is there any result in Functional Analysis which says that if a space is self-...
Uday's user avatar
  • 2,239
24 votes
2 answers
4k views

Origin of the term "sinc" function

Is the sinc function defined here, really a short form of "sinus cardinalis" as proposed by Wikipedia? This information is deleted now but it existed some time ago. Even if we search Google ...
ACR's user avatar
  • 879
24 votes
2 answers
2k views

Unique predual of a Banach space

Suppose $E$ is a dual Banach space whose predual is unique, and $E_0$ is a codimension 1 weak* closed subspace of $E$. Is the predual of $E_0$ necessarily unique? Okay, I will reveal the motivation. ...
Nik Weaver's user avatar
  • 42.8k
24 votes
3 answers
3k views

Can Hölder's Inequality be strengthened for smooth functions?

Is there an $\epsilon>0$ so that for every nonnegative integrable function $f$ on the reals, $$\frac{\| f \ast f \|_\infty \| f \ast f \|_1}{\|f \ast f \|_2^2} > 1+\epsilon?$$ Of course, we ...
Kevin O'Bryant's user avatar
24 votes
3 answers
2k views

The third axiom in the definition of (infinite-dimensional) vector bundles: why?

Serge Lang's Differential and Riemannian Manifolds is a no doubt the best available reference for the theory of not-necessarily-finite-dimensional differential manifolds, but unfortunately it suffers ...
slow student's user avatar
24 votes
1 answer
2k views

How many ways are there to globalize Harish Chandra modules?

Suppose $G$ a reductive Lie group with finitely many connected components, and suppose in addition that the connected component $G^0$ of the identity can be expressed as a finite cover of a linear Lie ...
Clark Barwick's user avatar
24 votes
3 answers
1k views

Is there a 'certainty' principle?

Heisenberg's uncertainty principle is a restriction on which probability distributions can describe the position and momentum of a quantum particle. In mathematical terms it says that if $\psi\in L^2$ ...
Oscar Cunningham's user avatar
23 votes
5 answers
8k views

Why do we have two theorems when one implies the other?

Why do we have two theorems one for the density of $C^{\infty}_c(\mathbb{R}^n)$ in $L^p(\mathbb{R}^n)$ and one for the density of $C^{\infty}_c(\Omega)$ in $L^p(\Omega)$? with $\Omega$ an open subset ...
23 votes
8 answers
8k views

Grothendieck on topological vector spaces

In a short biography article on Alexander Grothendieck, it is mentioned that after Grothendieck submitted his first thesis on topological vector spaces (TVS), apparently, he told Bernard Malgrange ...