The forward heat representation of a compactly supported test function #
For a smooth, compactly supported ζ : Vec3 × ℝ → ℝ, the value ζ (x, s) is recovered from the
image of ζ under the forward heat operator ∂ₜ - Δ, convolved against the causal heat kernel
run backward from (x, s): ζ (x, s) = ∫ Γ(x - z.1, s - z.2) (∂ₜζ - Δζ) z. Since heatKernel
vanishes for a nonpositive second argument, the integral is effectively over the past
{z | z.2 < s}. This is the base case of the pointwise heat-potential bound used for the
interior estimates in the proof of lem:aniso:annulus.
The proof reduces to CKN's backwardTestPotential_heat_equation (which differentiates the
potential of a compactly supported source) applied to the time-reflection of ζ, combined with
the (heat-equation-free) fact that differentiation commutes with backwardTestPotential. This
converts CKN's "potential of a derivative recovers a delta-tested value" statement about the
future-integrating kernel into the forward, past-integrating representation stated here; no
uniqueness argument for the heat equation is used anywhere.
Time-reflection of a space-time function.
Instances For
The map t ↦ (x - t.1, t.2 - r) is measure preserving on Vec3 × ℝ.