Closed Operators Which Commute with Convolution*
JAMES A. WOOD
Department of Mathematics, Georgetown University, Washington, D. C. 20007
and Department of Mathematics, Virginia Commonwealth University,
Richmond, Virginia 23220
Submitted by R. Bellman
1. INTRODUCTION
Denote by Li the Banach algebra of absolutely (Lebesgue) integrable
functions on the real line, with the usual operations of addition and
scalar multiplication, with multiplication defined by convolution;
(f * id4 = l-“m f(x - t> At) 4 and with the norm of an element f ELM
defined by I] f 11 = s_mm 1 f (t)l dt. As usual, we identify functions which are
equal almost everywhere. For f EP, the Fourier transformf of f is defined by
f(x) = sza eiztf(t) dt.
If K(t), - 03 < t < + CO, is a function of bounded variation on the
real line, then the operator TK : L1 + L1, defined by
Tdf> (~1 = lrn fh - t)dK(tL -cc
is a bounded linear operator which commutes with convolution in the sense
that TK( f * g) = f t T,(g) = g * TK( f) for all f, g E L1 and
II TKII = j-m I dW)I . --io
(The integral is taken in the Lebesgue-Stieltjes sense and sz- I dK(t)l is the
total variation of K as a set function.) It is known that this is the most general
type of bounded operator which commutes with convolution. More precisely,
if T is a bounded operator which commutes with convolution, then there
exists a function K(t) of bounded variation on the entire line, such that
T(f) (4 = .k:mf(x - t) dK(t) f or allfeLl and 11 T/I = sym 1 dK(t)l . (Note
that T need not be assumed linear, this fact being implied by the conclusion.)
Thus, if T is a bounded (linear) operator which commutes with convolution,
*This research was supported by U. S. Army Research Office, Durham, N. C.,
Contract No. DA-31-124-ARO-D-271; National Science Foundation Grant No.