On explicit bases in Sobolev spaces (Q1060386)

Consider the Sobolev-spaces \(H^ k(-\pi,\pi)=W^{k,2}\) (-\(\pi\),\(\pi)\) with the inner product \((u,v)_{H^ k}=(u,v)_{L^ 2}+(u^{(k)},v^{(k)})_{L^ 2}.\) The functions \(\{e^{inx}\}_{n\in {\mathbb{Z}}}\) are orthogonal in \(H^ k(-\pi,\pi)\) and generate a subspace \(H^ k_{\ker}(-\pi,\pi)\) of codimension k in \(H^ k(-\pi,\pi).\) In this note we determine an explicit distinguished basis \(\{\alpha_{k0},...,\alpha_{kk-1}\}\) for \(H^ k_{per}(- \pi,\pi)^{\perp}\) given by \[ \alpha_{k\mu}=\frac{1}{2k}\sum_{\zeta^{2k}=(-1)^{k- 1}}\frac{\zeta^{-\mu}}{e^{\pi \zeta}-e^{-\pi \zeta}}\exp (\zeta x). \] We show that \((\alpha_{k\nu},\alpha_{k\mu})_{H^ k}=0\) for \(\nu\) \(\neq \mu mod 2\). In particular \(\{\alpha_{10},e^{inx}\}_{n\in {\mathbb{Z}}}\) and \(\{\alpha_{20},\alpha_{21},e^{inx}\}_{n\in {\mathbb{Z}}}\) are orthogonal bases of \(H^ 1(-\pi,\pi)\) and \(H^ 2(- \pi,\pi)\). Note that \(\alpha_{10}=\frac{1}{2}\frac{\sinh (x)}{\sinh (\pi)}.\) After a closer study of the functions \(\alpha_{k\mu}\) we give applications to a version of the Bessel-Parseval equality in \(H^ 1(- \pi,\pi)\) and to best possible constants in certain Sobolev inequalities.