An integral arising from the inverse Fourier transform

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Homework Help Overview

The original poster is attempting to compute the inverse Fourier transform of a combination of cosine and sine functions multiplied by an exponential term. The integral in question involves the expression ##\frac{1}{\sqrt{2\pi}}\int_{-\infty} ^\infty [A\cos (ckt)+B\sin (ckt)]e^{ikx}dk##, with considerations for the behavior of the integral under various conditions.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking, Mathematical reasoning

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants discuss the potential use of integration by parts and substitutions but express uncertainty about their effectiveness. There is mention of the integral representation of the Dirac delta function as a possible avenue for resolution. Some participants suggest introducing a convergence factor to handle divergence issues.

Discussion Status

The discussion is ongoing, with participants exploring different approaches to the integral. Some guidance has been offered regarding the Dirac delta function and convergence factors, but there is no explicit consensus on the final form of the solution. The original poster has acknowledged a potential misunderstanding regarding the dependence of constants on k.

Contextual Notes

There are indications that the integrals may not converge in the normal sense, and participants are considering the implications of this on their approaches. The original poster has also noted a potential typo in their previous message regarding the argument of the delta function.

fluidistic
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Homework Statement


For a physics problem I must take the inverse Fourier transform of 2 functions.
Namely I must compute the integral ##\frac{1}{\sqrt{2\pi}}\int_{-\infty} ^\infty [A\cos (ckt)+B\sin (ckt)]e^{ikx}dk##.

Homework Equations


Already given.
i is the complex number. t is greater or equal to 0. In fact it could also be negative, there should be no problem.

The Attempt at a Solution


So I tried to tackle ##\int _{-\infty} ^\infty \cos (ckt)e^{ikx}dk## first but ran out of ideas.
Integration by parts does not look promising. Probably some substitution I guess but I don't see it. Any tip would be appreciated.
 
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Look into the integral representation of the Dirac delta function.
 
vela said:
Look into the integral representation of the Dirac delta function.

Hi and thanks for the tip vela. I have it under the eyes (http://dlmf.nist.gov/1.17), but I don't see how this can help.
Edit: I rewrote ##A\cos (ckt)+B\sin (ckt)## as ##Ae^{ickt}+Be^{-ickt}## which makes the integral diverge.
 
Last edited:
The integrals don't converge in the normal sense, but you can use 1.17.12 to recognize the appearance of the delta function.
 
If you don't find that approach satisfying, you can try throwing in a convergence factor and then taking a limit:
$$\lim_{\lambda \to 0^+} \int_{-\infty}^\infty \cos (ckt) e^{ikx} e^{-\lambda |k|}\,dk$$ You have to be a bit careful when taking the limit so that you end up with the delta functions.
 
Thanks a lot! It does satisfy me. So the answer would be ##A\delta (ct+x)+B\delta (ct-x)## where A and B are not necessarily the constants I started with.
I hope it's right.
 
I just found out the solution to the problem. Apparently A and B depend on k (http://mathworld.wolfram.com/WaveEquation1-Dimensional.html), I missed this. The answer should be f(x-ct)+f(x+ct) instead of the delta. f could be any function twice differentiable I think, thus the delta is a possibility.
P.S.:I made a typo in my previous post. The argument of the second delta should be "x-ct".
 

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