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Convolution theorem
Convolution theorem
from Wikipedia

In mathematics, the convolution theorem states that under suitable conditions the Fourier transform of a convolution of two functions (or signals) is the product of their Fourier transforms. More generally, convolution in one domain (e.g., time domain) equals point-wise multiplication in the other domain (e.g., frequency domain). Other versions of the convolution theorem are applicable to various Fourier-related transforms.

Functions of a continuous variable

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Consider two functions and with Fourier transforms and :

where denotes the Fourier transform operator. The transform may be normalized in other ways, in which case constant scaling factors (typically or ) will appear in the convolution theorem below. The convolution of and is defined by:

In this context the asterisk denotes convolution, instead of standard multiplication. The tensor product symbol is sometimes used instead.

The convolution theorem states that:[1][2]: eq.8 

Applying the inverse Fourier transform produces the corollary:[2]: eqs.7, 10 

Convolution theorem

The theorem also generally applies to multi-dimensional functions.

This theorem also holds for the Laplace transform, the two-sided Laplace transform and, when suitably modified, for the Mellin transform and Hartley transform (see Mellin inversion theorem). It can be extended to the Fourier transform of abstract harmonic analysis defined over locally compact abelian groups.

Periodic convolution (Fourier series coefficients)

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Consider -periodic functions   and   which can be expressed as periodic summations:

  and  

In practice the non-zero portion of components and are often limited to duration but nothing in the theorem requires that.

The Fourier series coefficients are:

where denotes the Fourier series integral.

  • The product: is also -periodic, and its Fourier series coefficients are given by the discrete convolution of the and sequences:
  • The convolution:

is also -periodic, and is called a periodic convolution.

The corresponding convolution theorem is:

Functions of a discrete variable (sequences)

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By a derivation similar to Eq.1, there is an analogous theorem for sequences, such as samples of two continuous functions, where now denotes the discrete-time Fourier transform (DTFT) operator. Consider two sequences and with transforms and :

The § Discrete convolution of and is defined by:

The convolution theorem for discrete sequences is:[3][4]: p.60 (2.169) 

Periodic convolution

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and as defined above, are periodic, with a period of 1. Consider -periodic sequences and :

  and  

These functions occur as the result of sampling and at intervals of and performing an inverse discrete Fourier transform (DFT) on samples (see § Sampling the DTFT). The discrete convolution:

is also -periodic, and is called a periodic convolution. Redefining the operator as the -length DFT, the corresponding theorem is:[5][4]: p. 548 

And therefore:

Under the right conditions, it is possible for this -length sequence to contain a distortion-free segment of a convolution. But when the non-zero portion of the or sequence is equal or longer than some distortion is inevitable.  Such is the case when the sequence is obtained by directly sampling the DTFT of the infinitely long § Discrete Hilbert transform impulse response.[A]

For and sequences whose non-zero duration is less than or equal to a final simplification is:

Circular convolution

This form is often used to efficiently implement numerical convolution by computer. (see § Fast convolution algorithms and § Example)

As a partial reciprocal, it has been shown [6] that any linear transform that turns convolution into a product is the DFT (up to a permutation of coefficients).

Convolution theorem for inverse Fourier transform

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There is also a convolution theorem for the inverse Fourier transform:

Here, "" represents the Hadamard product, and "" represents a convolution between the two matrices.

so that

Convolution theorem for tempered distributions

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The convolution theorem extends to tempered distributions. Here, is an arbitrary tempered distribution:

But must be "rapidly decreasing" towards and in order to guarantee the existence of both, convolution and multiplication product. Equivalently, if is a smooth "slowly growing" ordinary function, it guarantees the existence of both, multiplication and convolution product.[7][8][9]

In particular, every compactly supported tempered distribution, such as the Dirac delta, is "rapidly decreasing". Equivalently, bandlimited functions, such as the function that is constantly are smooth "slowly growing" ordinary functions. If, for example, is the Dirac comb both equations yield the Poisson summation formula and if, furthermore, is the Dirac delta then is constantly one and these equations yield the Dirac comb identity.

See also

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Notes

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References

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Additional resources

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For a visual representation of the use of the convolution theorem in signal processing, see:

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from Grokipedia
The convolution theorem is a fundamental principle in Fourier analysis that states the Fourier transform of the convolution of two functions equals the pointwise product of their individual Fourier transforms, and conversely, the inverse Fourier transform of the product of two Fourier transforms equals the convolution of the original functions. This relationship, often expressed mathematically as F{fg}=F{f}F{g}\mathcal{F}\{f * g\} = \mathcal{F}\{f\} \cdot \mathcal{F}\{g\} where fg(t)=f(τ)g(tτ)dτf * g (t) = \int_{-\infty}^{\infty} f(\tau) g(t - \tau) \, d\tau, enables efficient computation of convolutions in the frequency domain, particularly using fast Fourier transform algorithms. The theorem holds for functions in various domains, including time and spatial signals, and is commutative, meaning fg=gff * g = g * f. It extends to multidimensional cases and discrete signals, where the (DFT) replaces the continuous version, facilitating numerical implementations. Originally derived in the context of integral transforms, the theorem's proof relies on the linearity and properties of the , such as the transform of a shifted function. In applications, the convolution theorem is pivotal in signal processing for tasks like filtering, where convolving a signal with an impulse response in the time domain corresponds to multiplying their spectra in the frequency domain, simplifying deconvolution and system analysis. It also underpins image processing techniques, such as blurring or template matching, by converting computationally intensive spatial convolutions into efficient frequency-domain multiplications. More broadly, in machine learning, the theorem supports convolutional neural networks (CNNs) by enabling fast computation of large-kernel convolutions via the fast Fourier transform (FFT), reducing complexity from O(N2M2)O(N^2 M^2) to O(N2logN)O(N^2 \log N) for kernel size MM and input size NN. These uses highlight the theorem's role in transforming complex integral operations into algebraic ones, advancing fields from physics to computer vision.

Core statements

Continuous aperiodic case

In the continuous aperiodic case, the convolution of two functions f,gL1(R)f, g \in L^1(\mathbb{R}) (the space of absolutely integrable functions on the real line) is defined as (fg)(t)=f(τ)g(tτ)dτ.(f * g)(t) = \int_{-\infty}^{\infty} f(\tau) g(t - \tau) \, d\tau. This operation measures the overlap between ff and a reflected, shifted version of gg, and it extends to L2(R)L^2(\mathbb{R}) (square-integrable functions) via density arguments and Plancherel's theorem. The convolution theorem states that the Fourier transform of the convolution equals the pointwise product of the individual Fourier transforms: F{fg}(ω)=F{f}(ω)F{g}(ω),\mathcal{F}\{f * g\}(\omega) = \mathcal{F}\{f\}(\omega) \cdot \mathcal{F}\{g\}(\omega), where the Fourier transform is defined as F{f}(ω)=f(t)e2πiωtdt.\mathcal{F}\{f\}(\omega) = \int_{-\infty}^{\infty} f(t) e^{-2\pi i \omega t} \, dt. This holds for functions in L1(R)L^1(\mathbb{R}) by direct computation using Fubini's theorem for interchanging integrals, and for L2(R)L^2(\mathbb{R}) by continuity of the Fourier transform as a unitary operator on that space. The inverse form of the theorem asserts the duality: the inverse Fourier transform of the product of the transforms yields the convolution, fg=F1{F{f}F{g}}.f * g = \mathcal{F}^{-1} \left\{ \mathcal{F}\{f\} \cdot \mathcal{F}\{g\} \right\}. Here, the inverse transform is F1{f^}(t)=f^(ω)e2πiωtdω,\mathcal{F}^{-1}\{\hat{f}\}(t) = \int_{-\infty}^{\infty} \hat{f}(\omega) e^{2\pi i \omega t} \, d\omega, ensuring the operation is reversible under suitable integrability conditions, such as when F{f}\mathcal{F}\{f\} and F{g}\mathcal{F}\{g\} are in L1(R)L^1(\mathbb{R}). This duality simplifies computations in signal processing and partial differential equations by converting integration in the time domain to multiplication in the frequency domain. A illustrative example is the convolution of two Gaussian functions, f(t)=eπt2f(t) = e^{-\pi t^2} and g(t)=eπt2g(t) = e^{-\pi t^2}, each of whose Fourier transform is itself, F{f}(ω)=eπω2\mathcal{F}\{f\}(\omega) = e^{-\pi \omega^2} and similarly for gg. By the theorem, F{fg}(ω)=e2πω2\mathcal{F}\{f * g\}(\omega) = e^{-2\pi \omega^2}, so the inverse transform yields fg(t)=12eπt22f * g (t) = \frac{1}{\sqrt{2}} e^{-\frac{\pi t^2}{2}}
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