All Questions
10,934 questions
21
votes
1
answer
939
views
Is Grothendieck classification of tensor norms and Kuratowski's 14 sets theorem somehow related?
It is known that there are only 14 reasonable tensor norms in $Ban$. On the other hand it is well known fact for topologists that one can obtain only 14 different sets from a given set applying ...
- 1,697
21
votes
2
answers
2k
views
In a Banach algebra, do ab and ba have almost the same exponential spectrum?
Let $A$ be a complex Banach algebra with identity 1. Define the exponential spectrum $e(x)$ of an element $x\in A$ by $$e(x)= \{\lambda\in\mathbb{C}: x-\lambda1 \notin G_1(A)\},$$ where $G_1(A)$ is ...
- 2,154
21
votes
1
answer
1k
views
"Minimal" group C*-algebra?
Let $\Gamma$ be a discrete group (though this could be asked for general locally compact groups) and consider the Banach $*$-algebra $\ell^1(\Gamma)$. We have two natural $C^*$-algebra completions: ...
- 18.7k
21
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Uncertainty principle and Cramer-Rao bound - is there relation?
Just out of curiosity.
The two things sounds a little bit similar - 1) Uncertainty principle 2) Cramer-Rao bound.
Saying that we cannot measure something with certain accuracy.
However looking closer ...
- 24.9k
21
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Meager subspaces of a Banach space and weak-* convergence
I previously asked a version of this question on Math.SE, but didn't receive an answer. (But there is a bounty there if you want to claim it!)
Let $X$ be a Banach space. (If it helps, feel free to ...
- 29.8k
21
votes
2
answers
2k
views
A strange variant of the Gaussian log-Sobolev inequality
Let $\phi : \mathbb{R}^d \to \mathbb{R}$ be a convex function, and assume that it grows at most linearly at infinity for simplicity. Denote by $\gamma$ the standard Gaussian measure on $\mathbb{R}^d$, ...
- 562
21
votes
0
answers
869
views
Noncommutative arithmetic mean geometric mean inequality and symmetric polynomials
While analyzing convergence speed of stochastic-gradient methods for convex optimization problems, Recht et al (2011) posed a tantalizing conjecture. It seems quite tricky, so after having struggled a ...
- 28.6k
21
votes
0
answers
732
views
Closed connected additive subgroups of the Hilbert space
It is a classical result that a closed and connected additive subgroup of $\mathbb{R}^n$ is necessarily a linear subspace. However, this is no longer true in infinite dimension: a very easy example is ...
- 60.5k
21
votes
0
answers
876
views
Are the eigenvalues of the Laplacian of a generic Kähler metric simple?
It is a theorem of Uhlenbeck that for a generic Riemannian metric, the Laplacian acting on functions has simple eigenvalues, i.e., all the eigenspaces are 1-dimensional. (Here "generic" means the set ...
- 6,247
20
votes
12
answers
9k
views
The role of completeness in Hilbert Spaces
Why do Hilbert spaces have to be complete?
I've been studying (teaching myself about) Hilbert spaces for a while now as they have a habit of popping up in many of the papers I'm come across (I'm a ...
- 661
20
votes
7
answers
5k
views
Why do infinite-dimensional vector spaces usually have additional structure?
On Mathematics Stack Exchange, I asked the following question: Why are infinite-dimensional vector spaces usually equipped with additional structure? Although it received one good answer, I feel that ...
- 961
20
votes
3
answers
4k
views
What is the origin of the term "spectrum" in mathematics?
The use of the term "spectrum" to denote the prime ideals of a ring originates from the case that the ring is, say, $\mathbb{C}[T]$ where $T$ is a linear operator on a finite-dimensional vector space; ...
- 118k
20
votes
6
answers
7k
views
Does the derivative of log have a Dirac delta term?
Dirac writes down the following formula on page 61 of his "Principles of quantum mechanics":
$\frac{d}{dx}\log x = \frac{1}{x} -i\pi\delta(x)$, see http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1947pqm..book.....D ...
- 16.6k
20
votes
3
answers
3k
views
Realizing universal $C^*$-algebras as concrete $C^*$-algebras
How do I in general realize a universal C*-algebra generated by some generators and relation as concrete C*-algebras? For example, I know that universal C*-algebra generated by a single unitary is $C(\...
- 493
20
votes
2
answers
3k
views
Non-differentiable Lipschitz functions
As far as I understand, there are Lipschitz functions $f:\mathbb{R}\to\ell^\infty$ that are nowhere differentiable in the Frechet sense. Where can I find such an example?
- 28k
20
votes
3
answers
4k
views
Basis of l^infinity
Is it possible to exhibit a (Hamel) basis for the vector space l^infinity, given by the bounded sequences of real numbers?
- 1,638
20
votes
2
answers
1k
views
P-adic C* algebras
I understand that there is a definition of p-adic Banach algebras and that a significant amount of functional analysis can be developed in the non-archimedean setting. Is there a p-adic version of C*-...
- 373
20
votes
2
answers
4k
views
Ideals of the ring of smooth functions
The ring $C^\infty(M)$ of smooth functions on a smooth manifold $M$ is a topological ring with respect to the Whitney topology and the usual ring operations. Is it possible to describe, maybe under ...
- 101
20
votes
3
answers
8k
views
Why do inner products require conjugation?
For Hermitian matrices and operators, the most "natural" inner product is $f^H \cdot g$ or $\int f^* g\; dx$. A similar situation holds interpreting Fourier transforms as the inner product of ...
- 757
20
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Can There be a 1 dimensional Banach-Tarski paradox in the absence of choice
Let $\mathbb{R}$ act on itself by translation. Then there is no finite decomposition of a unit interval into pieces which, when translated, yields two distinct unit intervals.
More formally does ...
- 545
20
votes
2
answers
7k
views
Question about functional derivatives
This page on Wikipedia defines the so-called functional derivative as follows: "Given a manifold $M$ representing (continuous/smooth) functions $\rho$ (with certain boundary conditions, etc.) and a ...
- 3,515
20
votes
2
answers
870
views
C$^*$-algebras isomorphic after tensoring with $M_n(\mathbb C)$
In 1977, Joan Plastiras gave a striking example of two non $*$-isomorphic C$^*$-algebras $\mathcal A$ and $\mathcal B$ such that $$\mathcal A \otimes M_2(\mathbb C) \simeq \mathcal B\otimes M_2(\...
- 3,984
20
votes
4
answers
8k
views
FFTs over finite fields?
I'm trying to understand how to compute a fast Fourier transform over a finite field. This question arose in the analysis of some BCH codes.
Consider the finite field $F$ with $2^n$ elements. It is ...
- 3,979
20
votes
2
answers
1k
views
The Gelfand duality for pro-$C^*$-algebras
The Gelfand duality says that
$$X\to C(X)$$
is a contravariant equivalence between the category of compact Hausdorff spaces and continuous maps and the category of commutative unital $C^*$-algebras ...
- 1,344
20
votes
1
answer
993
views
Which spaces are characterized by functions with compact support ?
It's well known that two locally compact Hausdorff spaces $X, Y$ are homeomorphic iff the rings $C_0(X), C_0(Y)$ (continuous functions vanishing at infinity) are isomorphic.
Is there a class $\...
- 16.2k
20
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Fourier transform of $f_a(x)= a^{-2}\exp(-|x|^a)$, $a \in (0,2)$, is decreasing in $a$
Can one show that Fourier transform of
$$ f_a(x) = a^{-2} \exp(-|x|^a), \qquad a \in (0,2)$$
is decreasing in $a$?
I have a solution for $a \in (0,1]$ which cannot be used for $a\in (1,2)$.
- 178
20
votes
2
answers
922
views
A functional inequality about log-concave functions
Let $f,g$ be smooth even log-concave functions on $\mathbb{R}^{n}$, i.e.,$f=e^{-F(x)}, g=e^{-G(x)}$ for some even convex functions $F(x),G(x)$. Is it true that:
$$
\int_{\mathbb{R}^{n}} \langle \...
- 3,946
19
votes
4
answers
3k
views
Strange result about convexity
$f \in C^2([0,1])$ with $f''$ convex and $f(0) = f'(0) = f''(0) = 0$.
Is it true that : $f''(1)+6f(1)\geq 4f'(1)$ ?
Source: AoPS
- 4,074
19
votes
6
answers
8k
views
Unbounded operator bounded in a dense subset
Let $X, Y$ be normed vector spaces, where $X$ is infinite dimensional. Does there exist a linear map $T : X \rightarrow Y$ and a subset $D$ of $X$ such that $D$ is dense in $X$, $T$ is bounded in $D$ (...
- 783
19
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Can we take a supremum over all Hilbert spaces?
In my paper On the optimal error bound for the first step in the method of cyclic alternating projections, I defined functions $f_n:[0,1]\to\mathbb{R}$,
$n\geqslant 2$, by
$$
f_n(c)=\sup\{\|P_n\dotsm ...
- 935
19
votes
5
answers
16k
views
What does "kernel" mean in integral kernel?
In functional analysis, there is the term "integral kernel". Examples are Possion kernel, Dirichlet kernel etc.
In algebra, the term kernel of a homomorphism refers to the inverse image of the zero ...
user2529
19
votes
1
answer
5k
views
A Fourier-analytic inequality used by Jean Bourgain
I am currently reading Jean Bourgain's 1986 paper A Szemerédi type theorem for sets of positive density in $R^k$ and would appreciate some help in understanding a Fourier-analytic estimate used in ...
- 6,206
19
votes
7
answers
2k
views
Generalizations of "standard" calculus
We have the usual analogy between infinitesimal calculus (integrals and derivatives) and finite calculus (sums and forward differences), and also the generalization of infinitesimal calculus to ...
- 6,792
19
votes
3
answers
1k
views
What standard Banach space is isomorphic to the completion of this different normed structure on $\ell^1$?
A colleague asked me the following question:
"What can one do with the following norm on $\ell^1$: $|x|=\int_1^2 |x|_pdp$ where $| \;\; |_p$ is the standard norm on $\ell_p$?"
This ...
- 356
19
votes
4
answers
5k
views
Explicit extension of Lipschitz function (Kirszbraun theorem)
Kirszbraun theorem states that if $U$ is a subset of some Hilbert space $H_1$, and $H_2$ is another Hilbert space, and $f : U \to H_2$ is a Lipschitz-continuous map, then $f$ can be extended to a ...
- 1,839
19
votes
1
answer
773
views
Are algebraically isomorphic $C^*$-algebras $*$-isomorphic?
If A and B are C^*-algebras that are algebraically isomorphic to each other, does
this imply that they are *-isomorphic to each other?
- 213
19
votes
1
answer
5k
views
Intuition for the Hardy space $H^1$ on $R^n$
the standard intuition for Lebesgue spaces $L^p(\mathbb R^n)$ for $p \in [1,\infty]$ are measurable functions with certain decay properties at infinity or at the singularities.
In particular, a ...
- 5,327
19
votes
2
answers
5k
views
Is there an infinite-dimensional Banach space with a compact unit ball?
A popular pair of exercises in first courses on functional analysis prove the following theorem:
The unit ball of a Banach space $X$ is compact if and only if $X$ is finite-dimensional.
My ...
- 11.4k
19
votes
3
answers
1k
views
Is there "Schur-Weyl duality" for infinite dimensional unitary group?
To what extent does the relation between the diagonal representation of $SU(n)$ in $(\mathbb{C}^n)^{\otimes k}$ and representations of the symmetric group $S_k$ remain valid when instead of the group $...
- 965
19
votes
3
answers
937
views
In what ways is the standard Fourier basis optimal?
Is there any convincing sense in which the standard trigonometric basis for
the space $V$ of square-integrable real-valued functions on $[-\pi,\pi]$ is
optimal among all the orthonormal bases?
(If ...
- 19.7k
19
votes
3
answers
711
views
Almost isometric linear maps
Say that a linear map $\varphi : B(\mathcal H) \rightarrow B(\mathcal H)$ is $\epsilon$-almost isometric if
$$ 1 - \epsilon \leq \lVert\varphi(a)\rVert \leq 1+\epsilon, \quad \forall a\in B(\mathcal H)...
- 3,984
19
votes
1
answer
3k
views
Infinite convex combinations in a Banach space
Let's say that a subset $C$ of a Banach space $X$ is $\sigma$-convex if the following property holds:
For any sequence $(x_k)_{k\ge0}$ in $C$, and for
any sequence of non-negative real numbers $(\...
- 60.5k
19
votes
0
answers
552
views
Talagrand's "Creating convexity" conjecture
We say a subset $A$ of $\mathbb{R}^N$ is balanced if
\begin{equation}
x \in A, \lambda \in [-1,1] \implies \lambda x \in A.
\end{equation}
Given a subset $A$ of $\mathbb{R}^N$, we write
\begin{...
- 484
18
votes
3
answers
3k
views
A curious sin-integral
While contending with a certain Fourier series, I stumbled on an incredibly simple evaluation (numerically) of a slightly complicated-looking sin-integral.
So, I wish ask:
Question. Is this really ...
- 43.2k
18
votes
3
answers
7k
views
Eigenvectors of the Fourier transformation
The Fourier transform $\hat u$ is defined on the Schwartz space $\mathscr S(\mathbb R^n)$
by
$
\hat u(\xi)=\int e^{-2iπ x\cdot \xi} u(x) dx.
$
It is an isomorphism of $\mathscr S(\mathbb R^n)$ and the ...
- 16.2k
18
votes
6
answers
4k
views
What is the best place to learn about the mathematical foundations of quantum mechanics?
I'm looking for good references to learn about the mathematical foundations of quantum mechanics. By mathematical foundations, I do not mean rigorous quantum mechanics in general but the axioms behind ...
- 1,305
18
votes
3
answers
2k
views
Research topics in distribution theory
The theory of distributions is very interesting, and I have noticed that it has many applications especially with regard to PDEs. But what are the research topics in this theory? also in terms of ...
- 589
18
votes
4
answers
2k
views
Does "taking the dual space" stabilize?
Every book which treats dual spaces of normend spaces states that $(c_0)' = \ell^1$ and $(\ell^1)' = \ell^\infty$ and some also describe $(\ell^\infty)'$.
However, is anything known about higher ...
- 12.7k
18
votes
3
answers
2k
views
What are the right categories of finite-dimensional Banach spaces?
This is inspired partly by this question, especially Tom Leinster's answer.
Let me start with some background. I apologize that this will be rather long, since I'm hoping for input from people who ...
- 11.4k
18
votes
9
answers
4k
views
Introduction to wavelets?
Are there any suggestions for introductory books on wavelets? I want a book, not online material or tutorials.