ELEC 8501: The Fourier Transform and Its Applications Handout #3

E. Lam Mar 3, 2008

Evaluation of Certain Fourier Transforms
1 Direct integration: Fourier transform of (x)
The straightforward way of computing Fourier transform is by direct integration. This is appro-
priate for evaluating F{(x)}. Note that it is a real and even function, and we expect its Fourier
transform is real and even.
F{(x)} =
_
1
2

1
2
e
j2sx
dx
=
_
1
2

1
2
cos(2sx) dx
=
sins
s
sinc(s)
The sinc function has the properties that sinc(s) = 0 when s is at integer positions (since sin(s) =
0, except at zero where both the numerator and denominator are zero), sinc(0) = 1 using LHopitals
rule, and its envelope falls o with
1
s
.
2 Symmetric relationship: Fourier transform of sinc(x)
Every time we derive a Fourier transform relationship, we actually get them in pairs. This can be
seen by noting the following: If g(x) and G(s) are Fourier transform pairs, we can write
g(x) =
_

G(s)e
j2sx
ds
g(x) =
_

G(s)e
j2s(x)
ds
= F{G(s)}
Thus, we have
g(x) G(s) = G(x) g(s).
Furthermore, if g(s) is an even function, G(x) g(s). This is the case for sinc(x), whose
Fourier transform is (s).
3 Using Convolution Relationship: Fourier Transform of (x)
It is possible to use direct integration to compute F{(x)}, but a easier way is to note that (x) =
(x) (x). Since convolution maps to multiplication in the Fourier domain,
F{(x)} = F{(x)} F{(x)}
= sinc
2
(s).
1
4 Transform in the Limit: Fourier Transform of sgn(x)
The signum function is real and odd, and therefore its Fourier transform is imaginary and odd. If
we attempt to evaluate the Fourier transform integral directly, we get
F{sgn(x)} =
_

sgn(x)e
j2sx
ds
= j
_

sgn(x) sin(2sx) ds
= 2j
_

0
sin(2sx) ds
= 2j
_
cos(2sx)
2s
_

0
= j
_
cos(2sx)
s
_
x=

j
s
.
The rst term in the last expression does not exist, because cosine function does not die down
to zero (or any value) as its argument approaches innity. Thus, in the strict sense of Fourier
transform, F{sgn(x)} does not exist.
This trouble arises because the signum function is not absolutely integrable, i.e. it violates the
condition on f(x) that
_

|f(x)| < . However, it is possible to evaluate its Fourier transform if

we allow the following extended method of Fourier transform in the limit:
3 Steps for Fourier transform in the limit:
1. Dene a sequence of functions f
N
(x) such that lim
N
f
N
(x) = f(x)
2. Compute the Fourier transform: F
N
(s) = F{f
N
(x)}
3. Dene F(s) such that F(s) lim
N
F
N
(s)
There can be many possibilities in dening f
N
(x). For the signum function, one possibility is
to dene
f
N
(x) =
_
e

x
N
: x 0
e
x
N
: x < 0
We can check that as N , f
N
(x) sgn(x). Therefore,
F
N
(s) =
_

0
e

x
N
e
j2sx
dx
_
0

e
x
N
e
j2sx
dx
=
_

0
e
(
1
N
+j2s)x
dx
_

0
e
(
1
N
j2s)y
dy (y = x)
=
_
e
(
1
N
+j2s)x

_
1
N
+ j2s
_
_

x=0

_
e
(
1
N
j2s)x

_
1
N
j2s
_
_

x=0
=
1
1
N
+ j2s

1
1
N
j2s
We can then dene the Fourier transform of the signum function as
2
F{sgn(x)} lim
N
_
1
1
N
+ j2s

1
1
N
j2s
_
=
1
j2s
+
1
j2s
=
j
s
Using the symmetric relationship of the two domains discussed above in Section 2, we can
readily see that
1
x
jsgn(s)
5 Fourier Transform of the Gaussian function e
x
2
Putting the Gaussian function in the Fourier transform equation, we get
F{e
x
2
} =
_

e
x
2
e
j2sx
dx
=
_

e
(x
2
+j2sx+j
2
s
2
)
e
s
2
dx
= e
s
2
_

e
(x+js)
2
dx
= e
s
2
_

e
y
2
dy (letting y = x + js)
We therefore need to evaluate the area under the Gaussian function. A neat trick, reportedly
due to Euler, shows that this equals to unity without resorting to integration tables. Let
I =
_

e
y
2
dy.
Because y is a dummy variable above, we could have used x instead. Thus,
I
2
=
__

e
x
2
dx
___

e
y
2
dy
_
=
_

e
(x
2
+y
2
)
dx dy,
since there is no coupling between the two integrals. We can now consider (x, y) as the Cartesian
coordinates, and convert the integral to polar coordinates. Therefore,
I
2
=
_
2
0
_

0
e
r
2
r dr d
= (2)
_

1
2
e
r
2
_

r=0
= 1.
So I = 1, and
e
x
2
e
s
2
.
3
6 Fourier Transform of impulse function (x)
To calculate the Fourier transform of the impulse function, we make use of its sifting property, so
that
F{(x)} =
_

(x)e
j2sx
ds
= e
j2s(0)
= 1.
Since (x) 1 also implies 1 (s), we have the identity
(s) =
_

e
j2sx
dx.
7 Fourier Transform of comb function III(x)
Since III(x) =

n=
(x n),
F{III(x)} =

n=
e
j2ns
=

n=
e
j2ns
. (1)
We may notice that when s takes on integer values, the expression will blow up, while for other
values of s, the complex exponentials will cancel each other and the expression will become zero.
It is tempting to suggest that this expression therefore equals to III(s). It is indeed true; but the
line of argument presented above only suggests that the result is aIII(s) where a is some constant.
We need a more rigorous mathematical analysis to show that a = 1.
To do that, we need to make use of Fourier Series decomposition. We are at liberty to use this
tool, because although it is closely related to Fourier transform, its derivation does not involve the
use of comb function, so we are not making any circular argument here. Using Fourier series, every
periodic function F(s) with period L can be expressed as
F(s) =

n=

n
e
j2
n
L
s
where
n
=
1
L
_ L
2

L
2
F(s)e
j2
n
L
s
ds. (2)
Note that

n=
e
j2ns
is periodic in s with period L = 1, and that comparing Equation 1 and
Equation 2 we can see that
n
= 1.
Now letting G(s) = (s)F(s) produces one period of the function F(s), and we can write
F(s) =

n=
G(s n). To nd G(s), we make use of the formula for
n
above, i.e.
_
1
2

1
2
F(s)e
j2ns
ds = 1
_

G(s)e
j2ns
ds = 1
G(s) = (s).
Therefore,
F(s) =

n=
(s n) = III(s).
4
8 Fourier Transform of trigonometric functions sin(x) and cos(x)
We can express the trigonometric functions in terms of complex exponentials, where
cos(x) =
e
jx
+ e
jx
2
and sin(x) =
e
jx
e
jx
2j
.
Since F{e
jx
} =
_

e
j2(s
1
2
)x
dx =
_
s
1
2
_
, and similarly e
jx

_
s +
1
2
_
, we have
cos(x)
1
2
_

_
s +
1
2
_
+
_
s
1
2
__
sin(x)
j
2
_

_
s +
1
2
_

_
s
1
2
__
.
It is useful to remember that cosine is real and even, and therefore its transform is also real and
even, while sine is real and odd, and therefore its transform is imaginary and odd.
Another useful version to remember is the Fourier transform of cos(2ax) and sin(2ax). Using
the results above, we have
cos(2ax)
1
2
[ (s + a) + (s a)]
sin(2ax)
j
2
[ (s + a) (s a)] .
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