The Poisson summation formula, the sampling

theorem, and Dirac combs

Jordan Bell
jordan.bell@gmail.com
Department of Mathematics, University of Toronto
April 3, 2014

Poisson summation formula

Let S(R) be the set of all infinitely differentiable functions f on R such that for
all nonnegative integers m and n,
m,n (f ) = sup |x|m |f (n) (x)|
xR

is finite. For each m and n, m,n is a seminorm. This is a countable collection of

seminorms, and S(R) is a Frchet space. (One has to prove for vk S(R) that
if for each fixed m, n the sequence m,n (fk ) is a Cauchy sequence (of numbers),
then there exists some v S(R) such that for each m, n we have m,n (f fk )
0.) I mention that S(R) is a Frchet space merely because it is satisfying to
give a structure to a set with which we are working: if I call this set Schwartz
space I would like to know what type of space it is, in the same sense that an
Lp space is a Banach space.
For f S(R), define
Z
f() =
eix f (x)dx,
R

and then

1
f (x) =
2

eix f()d.

Let T = R/2Z. For C (T), define

1

(n)
=
2

eint (t)dt,

and then
(t) =

X
nZ

int

(n)e
.

For f S(R) and 6= 0, define : T C by

X
(t) = 2
f (t + 2j),
jZ

where f (x) = f (x). We have C (T).

For n Z,
Z 2
X
c (n) = 1

eint 2
f (t + 2j)dt
2 0
jZ
X Z 2
eint f (t + 2j)dt
=
jZ

Z
=

einx f (x)dx

= fc
(n).
 

c

One checks that fc

() = f , so (n) = f
(t) =

. Thus for t T,

X n
eint .
f

nZ

Therefore, if f S(R) then for each t T,

2

f (t + 2j) =

jZ

X n
eint ,
f

nZ

where f (x) = f (x). This is the Poisson summation formula.

Nyquist-Shannon sampling theorem

Let f S(R). Suppose that there is some L such that f (x) = 0 if |x| > L
(namely, f is spacelimited). We can in fact choose so that all terms with j 6= 0
on the left-hand side of the Poisson summation formula are zero, which then
expresses f (t) in terms of discrete samples of the Fourier transform of f .
If there is an L such that f() = 0 for || > L, we say that f is bandlimited.
(For f : T C this correspond to f being a trigonometric polynomial.) We can
prove a dual Poisson formula and apply it to bandlimited functions, but instead
I am going to give a direct argument following Charles L. Epstein, Introduction
to the Mathematics of Medical Imaging, second ed., which is a good reference
for sampling.
Suppose that f S(R) and f () = 0 for || > L.1 For , define
fact, if f, f L1 (R) and f is bandlimited then it follows that f is infinitely differentiable,
although it does not follow that f is Schwartz.
1 In

F : T C by2

 
L

F () = f
.

For n Z,
Fb(n)

Z
1
ein F ()d
2
 
Z
1
L
ein f
d
2

Z L
t
1
ein L f(t)dt.
2L L

=
=
=

On the other hand, for x R, using the fact that f is bandlimited,

1
f (x) =
2

Z
e

ix

1
f()d =
2

Therefore for n Z,

Fb(n) = f
L

n
L

eix f()d.


.

As F C (T), for t T we have

F (t) =

Fb(n)eint =

nZ

X  n 
f
eint .
L
L

nZ

Hence for L L,
f() = F

X  n  in
=
f
e L .
L
L
nZ

For 0 < L, let : R R satisfy

(
1 || L

() =
0 || > L.
For instance, for = 0 let be the characteristic function on [L, L]. But if
> 0 we can choose to be smooth rather than a characteristic function. If
because
f() = 0 for || > L (rather than just for || > L), then f = f,
2 We are defining a periodic function F from a function f that is not periodic, but rather
which becomes 0 after L.

is equal to 1 on the support of f. Then for x R,

Z
1

f (x) =
eix f(xi)()d
2 R
Z
X  n  in
1
ix

e
f
e L ()d
=
2 R
L
L
nZ

Z
in
1 X
n

=
f
eix+ L ()d
2L
L
R
nZ



1 X
n
n 
=
f
2 x +
2L
L
L
nZ




X
n
n
f
=
x+
.
L
L
L
nZ

can be chosen so that x + n
L quickly goes to 0 as n . This means that
fewer terms of the above series need to be calculated to get a good approximation
of f (x). For the characteristic function on [L, L], we have
Z L
1
sin(xL)
L
(x) =
eix d =
= sinc(xL),
2 L
x

where sinc(x) =

sin x
x .

Then we obtain, for x R,


X  n 
n 
sinc x +
,
f (x) =
f
L
L
nZ

or
f (x) =


X  n 
n 
f
sinc x
.
L
L

nZ

Thus if f is bandlimited, we can sample f at a sequence of points and using

these values reconstruct f (x) for any x R. This fact is the Nyquist-Shannon
sampling theorem, and the actual formula above is the Whittaker-Shannon interpolation formula.
A pleasant exposition of sampling is given in Sampling: What Nyquist Didnt Say, and What to Do About It, by Tim Wescott, 2010.

Dirac combs, pulse trains

Define a tempered distribution X on R by

X
X(t) =
(t n).
nZ

This is called a Dirac comb or pulse train. If f S(R),

X
Xf =
f (n).
nZ

The convolution of f and X is the function

X
f (t n).
(X f )(t) =
nZ

Define

 
1
t
X
.
T
T
Because (t/a) = |a|(t) (the scaling property of the Dirac delta distribution;
we have an absolute value sign because if a is negative then doing a change of
variables in the definition of (t/a) we get two negative signs), if T > 0 then

 X
X 1
t
XT (t) =

n =
(t nT ),
T
T
XT (t) =

nZ

nZ

and we have
XT f =

f (nT )

nZ

and
(XT f )(t) =

f (t nT ).

nZ

XT (t + T ) = XT (t), so XT is a periodic distribution on R. It follows that

XT is a distribution on T. Folland talks about periodic distributions around
p. 298 of his Real Analysis, second
ed.
R
1
Let Cc (R) such that R (x)dx = 2
, and let = [0,2) . If we have
a 2-periodic distribution F on R and C (T), we define F to be F ()
( is viewed in this instance as a 2-periodic function on R). For C (T)
we have, viewing as a 2-periodic function on R (thus (2n) = (0)),
X
X2 () =
(t 2n)()
nZ

(2n)(2n)

nZ

= (0)

XZ
nZ

(x)[0,2) (2n x)dx

Z
= (0)

(x)
R

[0,2) (2n x)dx

nZ

Z
= (0)

(x)
R

(0)
.
2

Thus as a distribution on T, for C (T) we have X2 =

1
int
[
X
= 2
. Thus the Fourier series of X2 is
2 (n) = X2 e
1 X int
e .
2
nZ

(0)
2 .

For n Z,