All Questions
10,826 questions
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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
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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 $$\mathcal A \otimes M_2(\mathbb C) \simeq \mathcal B\otimes M_2(\...
- 3,984
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1
answer
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A conjectured formula for Apéry numbers
A conjecture by the late Romanian mathematician Alexandru Lupas.
Posted in sci.math in 2005, but no proof was found.
Physicist Alan Sokal just reminded me of it, saying it was related to something he ...
- 41.1k
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votes
3
answers
4k
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Harmonic analysis on semisimple groups - modern treatment
For my finals, I am digging through the book by Varadarajan An introduction to harmonic analysis on semisimple Lie groups. I find it a rather hard read and I feel it's a bit outdated now. Any ...
20
votes
2
answers
1k
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The Gelfand duality for pro-$C^*$-algebras
The Gelfand duality says that
$$X\to C(X)$$
is a contravariant equivalence between the category of compact Hausdorff spaces and continuous maps and the category of commutative unital $C^*$-algebras ...
- 1,344
20
votes
1
answer
993
views
Which spaces are characterized by functions with compact support ?
It's well known that two locally compact Hausdorff spaces $X, Y$ are homeomorphic iff the rings $C_0(X), C_0(Y)$ (continuous functions vanishing at infinity) are isomorphic.
Is there a class $\...
- 16.2k
20
votes
2
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922
views
A functional inequality about log-concave functions
Let $f,g$ be smooth even log-concave functions on $\mathbb{R}^{n}$, i.e.,$f=e^{-F(x)}, g=e^{-G(x)}$ for some even convex functions $F(x),G(x)$. Is it true that:
$$
\int_{\mathbb{R}^{n}} \langle \...
- 3,946
20
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0
answers
333
views
Existence of orthonormal basis for $L^2(G)$ in $C_c(G)$
Remark: I cross-posted this question on MSE and added a bounty to it.
Suppose that $G$ is a locally compact (Hausdorff) group endowed with the Haar measure. It is well-known that the compactly ...
- 321
19
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4
answers
3k
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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 $D$ (...
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2
answers
2k
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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
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7
answers
2k
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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
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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
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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
3k
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Explaining Mukai-Fourier transforms physically
A core concept in mathematics, engineering, and physics is the Fourier Transform (FT) and its many variants (Generalized Fourier Series, Green's Function, Pontryagin duality).
The basic algorithm is ...
- 10.5k
19
votes
2
answers
3k
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Is there a "right" proof of Riemann's Theta Relation?
Let $\theta$ denote the usual Jacobi Theta function (with auxiliary parameter $\tau = i$, for simplicity), i.e.
$$
\theta(z) = \sum_{n \in \mathbb{Z}} \exp(-\pi (a + n)^2 + 2 \pi i n z) \ .
$$
I'm ...
- 915
19
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2
answers
5k
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Is there an infinite-dimensional Banach space with a compact unit ball?
A popular pair of exercises in first courses on functional analysis prove the following theorem:
The unit ball of a Banach space $X$ is compact if and only if $X$ is finite-dimensional.
My ...
- 11.4k
19
votes
1
answer
700
views
Proof of Minkowski theorem using harmonic analysis
I am trying to properly write a proof of Minkowski's theorem in a self-contained way and understandable by (good) undergraduates.
Theorem (Minkowski)
Let $L$ be a lattice of $\mathbb{R}^n$ and ...
- 927
19
votes
3
answers
1k
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Is there "Schur-Weyl duality" for infinite dimensional unitary group?
To what extent does the relation between the diagonal representation of $SU(n)$ in $(\mathbb{C}^n)^{\otimes k}$ and representations of the symmetric group $S_k$ remain valid when instead of the group $...
- 965
19
votes
3
answers
711
views
Almost isometric linear maps
Say that a linear map $\varphi : B(\mathcal H) \rightarrow B(\mathcal H)$ is $\epsilon$-almost isometric if
$$ 1 - \epsilon \leq \lVert\varphi(a)\rVert \leq 1+\epsilon, \quad \forall a\in B(\mathcal H)...
- 3,984
19
votes
1
answer
3k
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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
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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
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
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3
answers
2k
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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
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4
answers
2k
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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
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3
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2k
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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
3
answers
2k
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Poincare lemma for non-smooth differentiable forms
The Poincare lemma is almost always formulated for differential forms with smooth coefficients (or sometimes for currents that have distributional coefficients). I would like to have it for $C^k$-...
- 16.4k
18
votes
3
answers
1k
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In which sense the GNS-construction is a functor?
I asked this at mathstackexchange a week ago, without success.
I think the Gelfand–Naimark–Segal construction must be a functor in some sense, but I can't find an explicit statement anywhere. Can ...
- 7,426
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votes
3
answers
4k
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Formal adjoint of the covariant derivative
Let $E \to M$ be a vector bundle over some Riemannian metric $(M, g)$ and endow it with some fibre metric. Assume that covariant derivative $\nabla$ is compatible with the metric.
It is essentially ...
- 5,824
18
votes
1
answer
564
views
Is the space of Hankel operators complemented in B(H)?
Let $H$ be $\ell^2({\mathbb N})$ and let $S:H\to H$ be the unilateral forward shift, so that $S^*S=I\neq SS^*$. Then a bounded operator $T:H\to H$ is Hankel if and only if it satisfies $TS=S^*T$.
Let ...
- 25.8k
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1
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Let a function f have all moments zero. What conditions force f to be identically zero?
Throughout, let $f$ be a Lebesgue measurable function (or continuous if you wish, but this is probably no easier). (Questions with distributions etc. are possible also but I want to keep things simple ...
- 1,990
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3
answers
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Spectra of elements of a Banach algebra and the role played by the Hahn-Banach Theorem.
This problem was posed on Math StackExchange some time ago, but it did not garner any solutions there. I think that it is interesting enough to be posed here on Math Overflow, so here it goes.
Let $ \...
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answer
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Unbounded linear operator defined on $l^2$
Let $l^2$ be a Hilbert space of infinite sequences $(z_0, z_1, \cdots)$ with finite $\sum_{i=0}^{\infty} |z_i|^2$.
Are there any simple example of unbounded linear opearator $T: l^2 \to l^2$ with $D(...
- 2,821
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4
answers
1k
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Who first used the multiplication operator version of spectral theory
This is another history question.
Hilbert phrased the spectral theorem in terms of resolutions of the identity.
While this remained the form of Stone and von Neumann, they did also have the ...
- 827
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1
answer
1k
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Who introduced the notion of "stability" in numerical analysis?
I am preparing a lecture course on the applications of operator theory where I intended to make some numerical analysis application. I was wondering about this question while browsing the literature I ...
- 4,729
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1
answer
3k
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How bad can the second derivative of a convex function be?
One can easily construct an example of a measurable function $f:(a,b)\to \mathbb{R}$ which satisfies the following property:
$$\label{p}\tag{P}
f\notin L^1(I),\ \mbox{for each interval}\ I\subset (a,...
- 409
18
votes
1
answer
748
views
Banach-Mazur distance between the cube and the octahedron
The Banach-Mazur distance $d(X, Y)$ between two normed spaces $X, Y$ of the same dimension is defined as $d(X, Y) = \log\inf \|T\| \cdot \|T^{-1}\|$, where the $T:X \to Y$ is a linear and invertible ...
- 243
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4
answers
1k
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Reference for a strong intermediate value theorem for measures
Let $\mu$ be a finite nonatomic measure on a measurable space $(X,\Sigma)$, and for simplicity assume that $\mu(X) = 1$. There is a well-known "intermediate value theorem" of Sierpiński that states ...
- 5,407
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2
answers
1k
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compact-open topology on $B(H)$
In topology, it is common to use the compact-open topology on the set of continuous maps between two given topological spaces.
Let now $H$ be a Hilbert space and $B(H)$ the set of continuous linear ...
- 43.2k
18
votes
2
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776
views
What is known about the "unitary group" of a rigged Hilbert space?
Suppose that $(E,H)$ is a rigged (infinite dimensional, separable) Hilbert space, i.e. $H$ is a Hilbert space, and $E$ is a Fréchet space, equipped with a continuous linear injection $E \rightarrow H$ ...
- 556
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3
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1k
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Example of a space for which $V \cong Hom(V,V)$
Let $V$ be a topological linear space, and let $\operatorname{Hom}(V,V)$ be the space of continuous linear maps from $V$ back to $V$, equipped with a suitable topology.
Is there a non-trivial ...
- 8,512
18
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1
answer
2k
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Borel Lemma for vector-valued functions
The classical Borel Lemma states that for an arbitrary sequence $(v_n)_{n \in \mathbb{N}_0}$ of complex numbers there is a smooth function $f\colon \mathbb{R} \longrightarrow \mathbb{C}$ with Taylor ...
- 8,098
18
votes
1
answer
1k
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Commuting unitaries
Is the following true:
For every unit vectors $x_1,..., x_n$, $y_1,..., y_n$ in $\mathbb{C}^k$
there exist a Hilbert space $H$, unitary operators $U_1,...,U_n$ and $V_1,...,V_n$ in $B(H)$ and unit ...
- 4,705
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votes
1
answer
11k
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Is every continuous function measurable?
This question has already been asked on Math StackExchange here, but was too old to be migrated, and I think will be more appropriate to MathOverflow.
In non-Hausdorff topology it is standard to ...
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