Skip to main content

Questions tagged [hilbert-spaces]

A Hilbert space $H$ is a real or complex vector space endowed with an inner product such that $H$ is a complete metric space when endowed with the norm induced by this inner product.

Filter by
Sorted by
Tagged with
64 votes
6 answers
10k views

Are dagger categories truly evil?

Recall that a dagger category is a category equipped with an involution $*:Hom(x,y)\to Hom(y,x)$ that satisfies $f^{**}=f$ and $f^* g^*=(gf)^*$. A prominent example of a dagger category is the ...
André Henriques's user avatar
22 votes
2 answers
3k views

Does it make sense to talk about smooth bundles of Hilbert spaces?

Is there a notion of "smooth bundle of Hilbert spaces" (the base is a smooth finite dimensional manifold, and the fibers are Hilbert spaces) such that: 1• A smooth bundle of Hilbert spaces ...
André Henriques's user avatar
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 ...
Ivan Feshchenko's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
600 views

A geometric approach to the odd perfect number problem?

Let $e_d$ be the $d$-th standard-basis vector in the Hilbert space $H=l_2(\mathbb{N})$. Let $h(n) = J_2(n)$ be the second Jordan totient function. Define: $$\phi(n) = \frac{1}{n} \sum_{d|n}\sqrt{h(d)}...
mathoverflowUser's user avatar
25 votes
4 answers
4k views

Rigged Hilbert spaces and the spectral theory in quantum mechanics

I'm trying to learn some quantum mechanics by myself, and because of my mathematics background, I'm trying to understand it in a rigorous way. Since then, I've been intrigued by the use of rigged ...
MathMath's user avatar
  • 1,305
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 ...
Pietro Majer's user avatar
  • 60.5k
16 votes
2 answers
731 views

A reference to a characterization of metric spaces admitting an isometric embedding into a Hilbert space

I am looking for a reference to the bipartite version of the Schoenberg's criterion of embeddability into a Hilbert space. The Schoenberg criterion is formulated as Proposition 8.5(ii) of the book &...
Taras Banakh's user avatar
  • 41.8k
13 votes
3 answers
1k views

Is the set of separable quantum states closed?

Let $\mathcal H,\mathcal H'$ be Hilbert spaces (not necessarily separable). A "separable state" is a trace-class operator of the form $\sum_i \rho_i\otimes\rho_i'$ where $\rho_i,\rho_i'$ are positive ...
Dominique Unruh's user avatar
7 votes
1 answer
2k views

Orthonormal bases on Reproducing Kernel Hilbert Spaces

Recall that a Hilbert space $\mathcal{H}$ is a reproducing kernel Hilbert space (RKHS) if the elements of $\mathcal{H}$ are functions on a certain set $X$ and for any $a\in X$, the linear functional $...
T. Le's user avatar
  • 577
6 votes
1 answer
765 views

An equivalence relation on the space of polynomials in one complex variable

Let $P(z)$ be a polynomial with complex variable $z$. We consider the following distribution for the roots of $P(z)=0$: the distribution is a triple $(n_{1},n_{2},n_{3})$ where these integers are ...
Ali Taghavi's user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
3k views

Inner product of linear bounded operators between Hilbert spaces

Let $X$ and $Y$ be Hilbert spaces, and let $L(X,Y)$ be the set of bounded linear operators between Hilbert spaces. Can we equip $L(X,Y)$ with a natural inner product? I think it should look like $\...
shuhalo's user avatar
  • 5,327
5 votes
1 answer
368 views

Boolean ring of unitary divisors / Structure of unitary divisors?

I hope this question is appropriate for MO: Let $n$ be a natural number, $U_n := \{ d | d \text{ divides } n, \gcd(d,n/d)=1\}$ be the set of unitary divisors. We can make $U_n$ to a boolean ring: $$a \...
user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
744 views

A RKHS interpretation of the Rydberg formula for hydrogen and an application for physics?

I was thinking if it is possible to define an inner product between two small physical objects with a positive definite kernel and was led to look at the Rydberg formula: The Rydberg formula for ...
mathoverflowUser's user avatar
42 votes
4 answers
33k views

What is the intuition for the trace norm (nuclear norm)?

I will word this question in terms of linear operators acting on $\mathbb{C}^n$ for simplicity. Feel free to provide an answer in terms of more general Hilbert spaces if you think it makes more sense ...
Kall's user avatar
  • 539
29 votes
6 answers
9k views

Nonseparable Hilbert spaces

Being nonseparable Banach space is in fact nothing special: one meets the first examples in the standard functional analysis course, when one learns about $\ell^p$ or $L^p[0,1]$ spaces-these spaces ...
truebaran's user avatar
  • 9,330
28 votes
2 answers
1k views

Can an operator have Exp(z) as its characteristic "polynomial"?

Let $\mathcal{H}$ be a Hilbert space, and let $T: \mathcal{H} \rightarrow \mathcal{H}$ be a trace-class operator. Define $$ f_T(z) = \sum_{i=0}^\infty \mbox{Tr}(\wedge^k T) \cdot z^k, $$ the ...
John Wiltshire-Gordon's user avatar
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 ...
Olumide's user avatar
  • 661
20 votes
0 answers
2k views

Can the similarity between the Riesz representation theorem and the Yoneda embedding lemma be given a formal undergirding?

For example, by viewing Hilbert spaces as enriched categories in some fashion? (I suppose the same idea of considering the inner product of a Hilbert space as a generalized Hom-set has also been ...
Sridhar Ramesh's user avatar
18 votes
2 answers
1k views

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 ...
André Henriques's user avatar
15 votes
4 answers
2k views

Naive questions about "matrices" representing endomorphisms of Hilbert spaces.

This is a very basic question and might be way too easy for MO. I am learning analysis in a very backwards way. This is a question about complex Hilbert spaces but here's how I came to it: I have in ...
Kevin Buzzard's user avatar
13 votes
4 answers
5k views

Gaussian processes, sample paths and associated Hilbert space.

Given a Gaussian process on some topological space $T$, with a continuous covariance kernel $C(\cdot,\cdot)\colon T\times T\to R$, we can associate a Hilbert space, which is the reproducing kernel ...
kjetil b halvorsen's user avatar
13 votes
4 answers
5k views

What is known about the Gaussian measure of the unit ball in a Hilbert Space?

Let $X$ be an infinite dimensional separable Hilbert Space with norm $||\cdot||$ and let $\mu$ be a Gaussian measure on $X$ such that $\mu(X) = 1$. What do we know about $\mu(B(0,1))$, where $B(0,1)$ ...
RadonNikodym's user avatar
12 votes
2 answers
3k views

Does there exist an event independent of a given sigma-algebra?

The following question came up in a discussion with my advisor: Let $(\Omega, \mathcal F, \mathbb P)$ be a non-trivial probability space, and suppose that $\mathcal G$ is a proper sub-$\sigma$-...
Tom LaGatta's user avatar
  • 8,512
12 votes
1 answer
474 views

How many subspaces are generated by three or more subspaces in a Hilbert space?

In the book of Garrett Birkhoff "lattice theory", it is mentioned that there are 28 subspaces that can be obtained from three subspaces in general position in a Hilbert space (using ...
coudy's user avatar
  • 18.7k
11 votes
2 answers
2k views

Schur's Lemma for Hilbert spaces

Let $H$ be a complex Hilbert space and let a group $G$ act on $H$ such that there are no invariant closed subspaces besides $H$ and $(0)$. Let $D$ be the ring of bounded operators which commute with ...
David E Speyer's user avatar
10 votes
2 answers
606 views

A characterization of metric spaces admitting a bi-Lipschitz embedding into a Hilbert space?

Theorem (??) derived in this MO-post from Schoenberg's theorem yeilds a "bipartite" characterization of metric spaces that admit an isometric embedding into a Hilbert space. This Theorem (??)...
Taras Banakh's user avatar
  • 41.8k
10 votes
1 answer
593 views

Density of smooth function in Hilbert spaces

I am looking for a simple reference to the following fact: If $f:\Omega\to\mathbb{R}$ is continuous, where $\Omega\subset H$ is an open subset of a separable Hilbert space $H$, then for any $\...
Piotr Hajlasz's user avatar
10 votes
1 answer
899 views

Approximation of a compactly supported function by Gaussians

Let $f:\mathbb{R}\to\mathbb{R}$ be a smooth function whose support is a closed interval, e.g. $\text{supp}(f)=[a,b]$. Then $f$ can be approximated (e.g. in $L^2$) by a linear combination of Gaussian ...
JohnA's user avatar
  • 710
9 votes
5 answers
870 views

Abelianization of GL(H)

This is related to Theo's question about the abelianizations of finite dimensionsal Lie groups. I am interested in a specific (infinite-dimensional) case of the above question. Let H be an infinite-...
Mike Hartglass's user avatar
8 votes
1 answer
522 views

Are the following subsets of a Hilbert space always homeomorphic?

Let $F$ be a infinite-dimensional complex Hilbert space, with inner product $\langle\cdot\;| \;\cdot\rangle$, the norm $\|\cdot\|$, the 1-sphere $S(0,1)=\{x\in F;\;\|x\|=1\}$ and let $\mathcal{B}(F)$ ...
Schüler's user avatar
  • 724
8 votes
0 answers
6k views

Convex hulls of compact sets

Let $A$ be a compact set in a separable Hilbert space $H$, and let $\bar A$ denote its convex hull. Is $\bar A$ compact?
Tom LaGatta's user avatar
  • 8,512
8 votes
0 answers
1k views

Is there any physics theory which is similar to these analogies?

Since I am doing this little "research" project on my spare time and in my physical neighborhood there are not many people to discuss these ideas, I wanted to share with you a small point of ...
mathoverflowUser's user avatar
7 votes
1 answer
569 views

Discriminant of elliptic curve (Frey-Hellegouarch), j-invariant and positive definite kernels, similarities?

Consider the Frey-Hellegouarch curve given $a,b$ natural numbers: $$y^3= x(x-\frac{a}{\gcd(a,b)})(x+\frac{b}{\gcd(a,b)})$$ Then the discriminant is given by $\Delta = \Delta(a,b) = 16 \left(\frac{ab(a+...
user avatar
7 votes
2 answers
464 views

Representing an $L^2$-functional by a non-$L^2$-function on a dense subspace

Let $(X, \mu)$ be your favourite measure space (finite or $\sigma$-finite if you like), let $g \in L^2$ (say, the scalar field of $L^2$ is $\mathbb{R}$, though this probably doesn't matter). Let $\...
Jochen Glueck's user avatar
6 votes
1 answer
501 views

Why is this nonlinear transformation of an RKHS also an RKHS?

I came across this paper (beginning of page 6) where they stated that if $f,h\in \mathcal{H}$, where $\mathcal{H}$ is an RKHS, then $l_{h,f}=\left|f(x)-h(x)\right|^q$ where $q\geq 1$ also belongs to ...
Kashif's user avatar
  • 383
6 votes
1 answer
321 views

Derivatives of norm of vector-valued holomorphic functions

Let $G$ be a connected domain in $\mathbb{C}^{n}$, let $H$ be a Hilbert space and let $f,g:G\to H\backslash \{0\}$ be holomorphic (in my particular situation they are also injective, but I don't think ...
erz's user avatar
  • 5,529
6 votes
2 answers
539 views

Is there a reasonable notion of spectral theorem on a pre-Hilbert space?

I'm trying to understand how bad things could possibly get without Cauchy completeness as a criterion for Hilbert spaces in quantum mechanics. Obviously, doing calculus on a pre-Hilbert space would be ...
Sanchayan Dutta's user avatar
6 votes
1 answer
170 views

Probabilities of small balls with convergent center points under Gaussian measure

I'm in the following situation: Consider a centred Gaussian measure $\mu_0$ on a separable Hilbert space $X$ with covariance operator $Q \in \mathcal{L}(X)$ (positive definite, self-adjoint, trace ...
user111726's user avatar
6 votes
0 answers
529 views

Infinite-dimensional "algebraic varieties"

This question was also formerly posted on MSE but has not received any answer or comment. Let $H$ be the infinite-dimensional seperable complex Hilbert space, and $P(H)$ denote its projectivization. ...
Zerox's user avatar
  • 1,543
5 votes
2 answers
310 views

Error estimate in the spectral theorem of compact operators on a Hilbert space

Given a compact self-adjoint operator $K$ mapping $L^2(\mathbb{R}^d) \rightarrow L^2(\mathbb{R}^d)$ as $f \rightarrow \int K(x,y) f(y) d\mu(y)$, let us define its eigenvalues $\lambda_i$ and eigen-...
gradstudent's user avatar
  • 2,246
5 votes
2 answers
2k views

Completion of $C_0^{\infty}(\mathbb{R}^N)$ with norm $\|u\|= \Bigg(\int_{{\mathbb{R}}^N} |\Delta u |^2 \, \mathrm{d}x \Bigg)^{\frac{1}{2}}. $

I have a question that I could not find it any where. Is the completion of $C_0^{\infty}(\mathbb{R}^N)$ with the respect to norm $$\|u\|= \Bigg(\int_{{\mathbb{R}}^N} |\Delta u |^2 \, \mathrm{d}x \...
Hheepp's user avatar
  • 371
5 votes
1 answer
512 views

Concentration inequality for Hilbert space valued random variables

I have read in a paper about the following result: Let $V$ be a separable Hilbert space and $(\Omega,A_{\Omega},P)$ a probability space. Suppose that $Y_1,Y_2,...$ is a sequence of independent $V$-...
Hugo10T's user avatar
  • 115
5 votes
2 answers
673 views

When are the closed convex subsets countable intersections of halfspaces

For what kind of topological vector spaces (separable maybe?) are the closed convex subsets countable intersections of halfspaces. I've seen somewhere that it's true for separable Hilbert spaces, ...
LCO's user avatar
  • 506
5 votes
1 answer
621 views

On the Riesz representation theorem

Let $V$ be a vector space with inner product $(\phi,\psi)$ antilinear in the second argument - not necessarily a Hilbert space. Let $\Phi$ be an antilinear functional on $V$. What are the precise (...
Arnold Neumaier's user avatar
5 votes
2 answers
2k views

Isometric embeddings of metric spaces in Hilbert spaces

There are plenty of isometric embeddings of metric spaces in Banach spaces. Nevertheless, I have been unable to find any significant result on isometric embeddings into Hilbert spaces. My question is: ...
Alex M.'s user avatar
  • 5,407
4 votes
1 answer
511 views

Positive-semidefiniteness of a Gram-like matrix

Let $x_0, x_1, \ldots x_{n-1}$ be arbitrary vectors in a complex Hilbert space. Define the $n \times n$ symmetric real matrix $M$ by $M_{ij} = \lvert \langle x_i, x_j \rangle \rvert^2$. Must $M$ be ...
Alec Edgington's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
863 views

Hoeffding's inequality for Hilbert space valued random elements

Suppose that $\mathbb H$ is a separable Hilbert space and $X_1,\ldots,X_n$ are independent zero mean $\mathbb H$-valued random elements such that $\|X_i\|\le s$ for each $1\le i\le n$, where $\|\cdot\|...
Cm7F7Bb's user avatar
  • 423
4 votes
1 answer
386 views

Invertible unbounded linear maps defined on a Hilbert space

It is well-known that, assuming the axiom of choice, there are unbounded linear maps defined not only on a dense subset but on all of Hilbert space. Is it possible that such a map is invertible?
Arnold Neumaier's user avatar
4 votes
2 answers
433 views

A homeomorphism between the unit interval $[0,1]$ and a linearly independent subset of a Hilbert space

Let $H$ be a infinite dimensional, separable Hilbert space over $\mathbb{C}$ Let $B$ a subset of $H$ such that $B$ is linearly independent and such that exists a homeomorphism $f : [0,1] \to B$ ...
Matey Math's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
174 views

A map into a Hilbert space with prescribed orthogonality

Let $X$ be a locally compact separable metric space, and let $L:X\times X\to \mathbb{C}$ be continuous and such that $L(x,x)=1$ and $L(y,x)=\overline{L(x,y)}$, for every $x,y$. Does there always ...
erz's user avatar
  • 5,529