Fourier transform

In physics, engineering and mathematics, the Fourier transform (FT) is an integral transform that converts a function into a form that describes the frequencies present in the original function. The output of the transform is a complex-valued function of frequency. The term Fourier transform refers to both this complex-valued function and the mathematical operation. When a distinction needs to be made the Fourier transform is sometimes called the frequency domain representation of the original function. The Fourier transform is analogous to decomposing the sound of a musical chord into the intensities of its constituent pitches.

${\displaystyle \scriptstyle f(t)}$

${\displaystyle \scriptstyle {\widehat {f}}(\omega )}$

${\displaystyle \scriptstyle g(t)}$

${\displaystyle \scriptstyle {\widehat {g}}(\omega )}$

${\displaystyle \scriptstyle t}$

${\displaystyle \scriptstyle \omega }$

${\displaystyle \scriptstyle t}$

${\displaystyle \scriptstyle \omega }$

The top row shows a unit pulse as a function of time (f(t)) and its Fourier transform as a function of frequency (f̂(ω)). The bottom row shows a delayed unit pulse as a function of time (g(t)) and its Fourier transform as a function of frequency (ĝ(ω)). Translation (i.e. delay) in the time domain is interpreted as complex phase shifts in the frequency domain. The Fourier transform decomposes a function into eigenfunctions for the group of translations. The imaginary part of ĝ(ω) is negated because a negative sign exponent has been used in the Fourier transform, which is the default as derived from the Fourier series, but the sign does not matter for a transform that is not going to be reversed.

Functions that are localized in the time domain have Fourier transforms that are spread out across the frequency domain and vice versa, a phenomenon known as the uncertainty principle. The critical case for this principle is the Gaussian function, of substantial importance in probability theory and statistics as well as in the study of physical phenomena exhibiting normal distribution (e.g., diffusion). The Fourier transform of a Gaussian function is another Gaussian function. Joseph Fourier introduced the transform in his study of heat transfer, where Gaussian functions appear as solutions of the heat equation.

The Fourier transform can be formally defined as an improper Riemann integral, making it an integral transform, although this definition is not suitable for many applications requiring a more sophisticated integration theory. For example, many relatively simple applications use the Dirac delta function, which can be treated formally as if it were a function, but the justification requires a mathematically more sophisticated viewpoint.

The Fourier transform can also be generalized to functions of several variables on Euclidean space, sending a function of 3-dimensional 'position space' to a function of 3-dimensional momentum (or a function of space and time to a function of 4-momentum). This idea makes the spatial Fourier transform very natural in the study of waves, as well as in quantum mechanics, where it is important to be able to represent wave solutions as functions of either position or momentum and sometimes both. In general, functions to which Fourier methods are applicable are complex-valued, and possibly vector-valued. Still further generalization is possible to functions on groups, which, besides the original Fourier transform on R or Rⁿ, notably includes the discrete-time Fourier transform (DTFT, group = Z), the discrete Fourier transform (DFT, group = Z mod N) and the Fourier series or circular Fourier transform (group = S¹, the unit circle ≈ closed finite interval with endpoints identified). The latter is routinely employed to handle periodic functions. The fast Fourier transform (FFT) is an algorithm for computing the DFT.