I have a question about the completeness of complex exponentials in function spaces.

For the discrete set $ S = \{1, 2, \ldots, n\} $, it is clear and intuitive that $ e^{2\pi ikx/n} $ for $ k = 0, 1, \ldots, n-1 $ forms a basis for $ L^2(S) $, as this is simply a matter of matching dimensions.

However, in the continuous case where $ T = [0, 2\pi] $, the fact that $ e^{ikx} $ for $ k = 0, 1, 2, \ldots $ forms a complete basis (span dense) for $ L^2(T) $ does not seem as intuitive to me. I find the proofs involving the Stone-Weierstrass theorem or Fejer kernels to be quite cumbersome.

Without detailed calculations, I struggle to see why these functions are complete. I would very much like to see a proof using discrete Fourier transform approximation to demonstrate the completeness of $ e^{ik} $ in $L^2(T) $, leveraging the results for $ L^2(S) $. I think such proof would be very intuitive and interesting.

**I recently found a related question on Math Stack Exchange ([link](https://math.stackexchange.com/questions/128866/how-do-we-know-the-complex-exponentials-span-the-set-of-all-real-functions)), where an [answer][1] outlines a framework using discrete Fourier approximation to show span density.** However, this answer only provides a high-level overview and omits almost all technical details. I am unable to fill in these technical details myself and am even unsure if this framework is reasonable.

The author of this answer has not been active on MSE for almost ten years, so I cannot contact him directly. I would greatly appreciate if someone could help fill in the technical details of this approach or indicate if the method in the answer is not feasible. Additionally, if this approach is based on any existing literature, I would welcome references.


  [1]: https://math.stackexchange.com/a/128874/697619