The behavior of a potential-like integral at infinity

Join the discussion
Ask a follow-up here, or get your own question answered by working scientists, mathematicians and engineers — people, not an autocomplete.
Real named experts · corrections over time · the nuance an AI answer skips
21 replies · 3K views
Messages
1,336
Reaction score
1,121
I need a help in the following problem. I feel that the question is stupid.
Take a function ##f\in C(\mathbb{R}^3)\cap L^1(\mathbb{R}^3)## and a number ##\alpha\in(0,3)##.
Prove that
$$\lim_{|x|\to\infty}\int_{\mathbb{R}^3}\frac{f(y)dy}{|x-y|^\alpha}=0.$$
I can prove this fact by the Uniform Boundedness Principle only. This frustrates me much.
 
Physics news on Phys.org
Maybe I do not take the problem properly, the integral is rewritten as
[tex]\int |t|^{-\alpha}f(t+x)dt[/tex]
So for your expectation we should require in the limit of large |x|
[tex]f(x) \rightarrow 0[/tex]
and the effect of divergence of ##|t|^{-\alpha}## at t=0 should be investigated.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: wrobel
wrobel said:
I feel that the question is stupid.
Why say this?
 
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: Klystron
the correct assertion is as follows.
Take a function $$g\in L^p(\mathbb{R}^3) \cap L^1(\mathbb{R}^3)$$ and a number $$\alpha\in(0,3),\quad p>\frac{3}{3-\alpha}.$$
Then one has
$$\lim_{|x|\to\infty}\int_{\mathbb{R}^3}\frac{g(y)dy}{|x-y|^\alpha}=0.$$
The question is the same: is there a direct proof? Besides the Uniform Boundedness Principle
 
fresh_42 said:
Why is
$$
\int_{B_1}\dfrac{d\xi}{|\xi|^{q\alpha }} < \infty
$$
and wouldn't we need ##|f(y)|## or ##|g(y)|##, too, which makes the ##u_j## non-linear?
1) The integral in the spherical coordinates takes the form
$$\int F(\psi,\theta)d\psi d\theta \int_{0}\frac{r^2}{r^{q\alpha}}dr,$$
and employ the inequalities from the beginning of the text.

2) for what?
 
Last edited:
wrobel said:
1) The integral in the spherical coordinates takes the form
$$\int F(\psi,\theta)d\psi d\theta \int_{0}\frac{r^2}{r^{q\alpha}}dr,$$
and employ the inequalities from the beginning of the text.

2) for what?
Sorry, but I do not see this. What if ##\alpha =1\, , \,p=q=2##?
$$
\int_{B_1}\dfrac{d\xi}{|\xi|^2}=\int_0^1\int_0^{\pi}\int_0^{2\pi}\dfrac{1}{r^2}\,d\theta\,d\psi\,dr=2\pi^2\int_0^1\dfrac{dr}{r^2}
$$
I think I could construct a counterexample for a function ##g(x\cdot y)## but we have ##g(x+y),## so I'm not sure whether I can use it.
 
Last edited:
The parameters are chosen really tight. Your handling of the singularity - catching it in a compact ball - still looks a bit like cheating. But before I get too deep into it, how do you finally conclude? I see that you get from Banach-Steinhaus that ##\|u_j\| <\infty ##. How does this prove the theorem, esp. where does the norm go?
 
Last edited:
I use the following version of Banach-Steinhaus (due to Laurent Schwartz Analyse Mathematique. vol 2 Hermann 1967.

Let ##X## be a Banach space and let ##X_0\subset X## be a dense set. Assume that ##u_k:X\to\mathbb{R}## is a uniformly bounded sequence of linear functions such that ##u_j(x)\to 0## for any ##x\in X_0##. Then ##u_j(x)\to 0## for any ##x\in X##.

The assertion is valid for the given function ##g\in X## (see the manuscript) as long as it is valid for the dense set ##X_0## of compacly supported functions.
 
Last edited:
Sorry, if it annoys you that I try to understand the details since your question was a different one, so what I'm asking here is strictly off-topic.

Just an unimportant question: Where did you use ##p>3/(3-\alpha )##. I get that ##p>0 ## is sufficient for ##2-q\alpha >-1##. (Do you understand papers in German. I have nice slices on that subject. It's what I use to construct a counterexample. I mean if ##g(y)=1## we still have that singularity somewhere.)

See
https://www.wolframalpha.com/input?...+(1/((x-10)^2+(y-10)^2+(z-10)^2))dz)dy)dx++==

The limit is outside of the integral, not inside, so we don't have a vanishing mass at infinity.
 
Last edited:
Post #2 in polar coordintes of ##\mathbf{t}(r,\theta,\phi),##
[tex]\int\int\int |t|^{-\alpha}f(t+x)d^3t=\int_0^\infty r^{2-\alpha} dr \int_0^\pi sin\theta d\theta \int_0^{2\pi} d\phi \ \ f(\mathbf{t}+\mathbf{x})[/tex]
When f(x) has a finite support, the integral is zero for large |x|.
 
anuttarasammyak said:
When f(x) has a finite support, the integral is zero for large |x|.
This is exactly what I do not see. The radius covers the entire space, so the integral matches the singularity at some point, regardless of how far away it is. The limit is always taken afterward! So I imagine an "alternating" function (to bypass ##L^1##), something in the realms of ##f(x,y)=x |x| \exp(-(xy)^2).## I know this isn't a counterexample, it is only my template to find one.

1645882815978.png
 
wrobel said:
From the conditions of the theorem there must be ##g\in L^1(\mathbb{R}^3)##. For ##g=1## it is not so. Thus it is not a counterexample.
Unfortunately I do not speak German.
Yes, but increase the power in the denominator and make ##g(y) \sim 1/|y|^\beta ## and we're back in business. I am not saying it is wrong. I simply do not see it. But I'm more an algebraic person than a topological.

There is still the magic trick with your compact balls to lock out the singularity, and the fact that you have ##\lim \int## and not ##\int \lim.##
 
fresh_42 said:
This is exactly what I do not see. The radius covers the entire space, so the integral matches the singularity at some point, regardless of how far away it is. The limit is always taken afterward!
Say the support does not exceed r=R,
[tex]|\int\int\int |t|^{-\alpha}f(t+x)d^3t|<br /> =|\int_0^\infty r^{2-\alpha} dr \int_0^\pi sin\theta d\theta \int_0^{2\pi} d\phi \ \ f(\mathbf{t}+\mathbf{x})|[/tex][tex] \leq |\int_0^R r^{2-\alpha} dr \int_0^\pi sin\theta d\theta \int_0^{2\pi} d\phi |\ \ max(| f(\mathbf{t}+\mathbf{x})|)[/tex] where maximum is taken within the region of sphere of radius R centered at vector ##\mathbf{x}##.
For large enough |x| of ##|\mathbf{t}+\mathbf{x}|>>R,|\mathbf{t}|<R##, ##max(| f(\mathbf{t}+\mathbf{x})|)=0##. So
[tex]\int\int\int |t|^{-\alpha}f(t+x)d^3t=0[/tex]
for large enough |x|. But I am not sure whether the original question allows f(x) to have a finite support.
 
Last edited:
anuttarasammyak said:
But I am not sure whether the original question allows f(x) to have a finite support.
##f \in L^1## is a strong statement. During my attempts to find a counterexample, I observed that ##\alpha \in (0,3)## and ##f\in L^1## are the crucial conditions here. So whatever "easier" proof there is, it will have to make use of them.