Duality of Gabor frames and Heisenberg modules (Q2043499)

Summary: Given a locally compact abelian group \(G\) and a closed subgroup \(\Lambda\) in \(G\times\hat{G}\), \textit{M. A. Rieffel} [Can. J. Math. 40, No. 2, 257--338 (1988; Zbl 0663.46073)] associated to \(\Lambda\) a Hilbert \(C^*\)-module \(\mathcal E\), known as a Heisenberg module. He proved that \(\mathcal E\) is an equivalence bimodule between the twisted group \(C^*\)-algebra \(C^*(\Lambda, \mathsf{c})\) and \(C^*(\Lambda^\circ,\bar{\mathsf{c}})\), where \(\Lambda^{\circ}\) denotes the adjoint subgroup of \(\Lambda\). Our main goal is to study Heisenberg modules using tools from time-frequency analysis and pointing out that Heisenberg modules provide the natural setting of the duality theory of Gabor systems. More concretely, we show that the Feichtinger algebra \(\mathbb S_O(G)\) is an equivalence bimodule between the Banach subalgebras \(\mathbb S_O(\Lambda,\mathsf{c})\) and \(\mathbb S_O(\Lambda^\circ,\bar{\mathsf{c}})\) of \(C^*(\Lambda,\mathsf{c})\) and \(C^*(\Lambda^\circ,\bar{\mathsf{c}})\), respectively. Further, we prove that \(\mathbb S_O(G)\) is finitely generated and projective exactly for co-compact closed subgroups \(\Lambda \). In this case the generators \(g_1,\ldots,g_n\) of the left \(\mathbb S_O(\Lambda)\)-module \(\mathbb S_O(G)\) are the Gabor atoms of a multi-window Gabor frame for \(L^2(G)\). We prove that this is equivalent to \(g_1,\ldots,g_n\) being a Gabor super frame for the closed subspace generated by the Gabor system for \(\Lambda^\circ \). This duality principle is of independent interest and is also studied for infinitely many Gabor atoms. We also show that for any non-rational lattice \(\Lambda\) in \(\mathbb R^{2m}\) with volume \(s(\Lambda) < 1\) there exists a Gabor frame generated by a single atom in \(\Lambda^\circ(\mathbb R^m)\).