DISTRIBUTIONS OF H-POSITIVE TYPE AND APPLICATIONS
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States in classical mechanics are probability measures, and their Fourier transforms are continuous functions of positive type. States in the phase-space formulation of quantum mechanics are Wigner distribution functions, and their (symplectic) Fourier transforms have been characterized by Kastler [Commun. Math. Phys. 1, 14 (1965)] and Loupias and Miracle-Sole [Commun. Math. Phys. 2, 31 (1966); Ann. Inst. H. Poincar 6, 39 (1967)] as being continuous functions of "-positive type." In this paper, (Schwartz) distributions of -positive type, are defined and studied. It is shown that if such distributions are bounded on a certain sequence of test functions, then they are symplectic Fourier transforms of Wigner distribution functions. These results, are applied to a variety of problems ranging from ones involving the quantum Liouville equation to a problem in signal analysis. 1989 American Institute of Physics.