Integrating exp(-i(px+qy)) dxdy over all space

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SUMMARY

The integral of exp(-i(px+qy)) over all space yields the result δ(p,q), which is a representation of the Dirac delta function. This conclusion is derived from the properties of the integral and the completeness relation, where substituting x with x+1 introduces a factor of e(-ip) while maintaining the integral's value. The integral evaluates to zero unless both p and q are zero, leading to the delta distributions when integrating over the constant function 1.

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I<3NickTesla
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In my diffraction notes, this integral comes up on the page about Babinet's principle:

[itex]\int ^{y=\infty}_{y=-\infty} \int ^{x=\infty}_{x=-\infty} exp(-i(px+qy)) dx dy = \delta (p,q)[/itex]

I'm not sure how this integral is derived as carrying out the integration and putting in the limits seems to give infinity, is it something to do with the completeness relation?

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I think that should be ##\delta(p,0)\delta(q,0)##.
Quick analysis:
If you substitute x->x+1, the integral gets multiplied with e(-ip), but it has to keep its value at the same time. Therefore, it is 0 unless p=0. The same applies to q, of course.
If p=0 and q=0, you integrate over 1, this leads to the delta distributions.
 

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