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Plunge bounds for Fourier concentration operators: geometry, smoothing, and wave packets

Ahmadreza Azimifard

math.FA Oct 7, 2026 · v1 math-ph math.SP
Selected algebraic and finite-dimensional matrix results supporting the spectral bounds, such as star-ring identities and singular-value inequalities, were formalized and checked in Lean 4.
We prove a single-logarithm bound for the eigenvalues in the plunge region of Fourier concentration operators, removing the extra logarithmic factor in the Kulikov–Dam Larsen bound for two general admissible sets throughout each fixed exponential window. For bounded spatial and frequency sets $A,B\subset\mathbb{R}^d$ of positive measure with finite upper codimension-one Minkowski boundary content, the number $Λ_\varepsilon(cA,B)$ of eigenvalues in $(\varepsilon,1-\varepsilon)$ satisfies $Λ_\varepsilon(cA,B)\le C(d,A,B,β)c^{d-1}D(1+\log_+(c/D))$, where $D=\log(1/(\varepsilon(1-\varepsilon)))$, for every fixed $β>0$, $c\ge2$, $0<\varepsilon<1/2$, and $D\leβc$, with $\log_+t=\max(0,\log t)$. The argument uses positive band-limited smoothing and requires no symmetry, convexity, or connectedness. In dimension two, the corresponding exponential-window estimate has a constant uniform in the window parameter. We also determine the optimal coordinate-Lipschitz constant $d-1$ for recursive decompositions of balls and standard simplices in every dimension, and obtain box-frequency estimates with explicit geometric constants. For $C^1$ convex bodies in three dimensions, the optimal infimum of recursive coordinate slopes is $2$. Uniform real-order Bessel estimates give independent disk and ball bounds at every spectral threshold, including an explicit deep-tail term. For smooth strictly convex planar frequency bodies with positive curvature, we prove correlation estimates for aligned Gaussian packets at arbitrary relative scales and quantitative lower bounds on the cost of estimating spatial blocks separately. Together these results connect the global spectral bound with sharp geometric constructions and the cancellation retained by grouping boundary interactions.

The work bounds the number of eigenvalues in the plunge region (ε, 1−ε) of Fourier concentration operators for general bounded spatial and frequency sets. The aim is to remove the extra logarithmic factor in the Kulikov–Dam Larsen bound for general admissible pairs.

The proof uses positive band-limited sinc-power smoothing with compact Fourier support, which gives exact cancellation on separated spatial cubes. This is combined with Schatten p-quasinorm subadditivity and a Whitney-type assembly. Further tools are recursive coordinate-Lipschitz decompositions of balls, simplices and convex bodies, uniform real-order Bessel estimates, and Gaussian wave-packet correlation estimates. Selected algebraic and finite-dimensional lemmas were machine-checked in Lean 4.

The plunge count satisfies Λ_ε(cA,B) ≤ C c^{d-1} D(1+log_+(c/D)) with a single logarithm, requiring no symmetry, convexity, or connectedness. The work also establishes: - an optimal coordinate-Lipschitz constant d−1 for balls and simplices; - a sharp infimum of 2 for C^1 convex bodies in three dimensions; - disk and ball bounds at every spectral threshold; - lower bounds on the cost of estimating spatial blocks separately.