Almost integer translates. Do nice generators exist? (Q1882643)

Let \(\Lambda\) be a sequence of real numbers, and let \(\varphi\) be a function from \(L^2(\mathbb{R})\). We recall that \(\varphi\) is said to be a generator for \(\lambda\) if the system \(\{\varphi(x- \lambda):\lambda\in \Lambda\}\) of translates spans the whole space \(L^2(\mathbb{R})\). It is well known that the set of integers \(\lambda= \mathbb{Z}\) does not admit any generator. On the other hand, the first named author [C. R. Acad. Sci., Paris, Sér. I 324, No. 9, 987--991 (1997; Zbl 0897.46016)] proved that the sequence \(\Lambda=\{n+ r_n: n\in\mathbb{Z}\}\) admits a generator if \[ r_n\neq 0,\quad n\in\mathbb{Z},\quad\text{and}\quad r_n\to 0\quad\text{as}\quad |n|\to\infty.\tag{\(*\)} \] Among others, the following two theorems are proved in the present paper. Theorem 2. If \(\Lambda= \{n+ r_n: n\in\mathbb{Z}\}\) is any sequence such that \[ r_n\neq 0,\quad n\in\mathbb{Z},\quad\text{and}\quad |r_n|< Cr^{|n|}\quad\text{for some}\quad 0< r< 1, \] then \(\Lambda\) admits a generator even from the Schwartz space \(S(\mathbb{R})\). Theorem 3. There exists a sequence \(\{r_n\}\) satisfying \((*)\) such that \(\Lambda= \{n+ r_n:n\in\mathbb{Z}\}\) does not admit a generator from \(L^1(\mathbb{R})\). Two more theorems involving weighted spaces \(L^2_w(\mathbb{R})\) are also proved.