Centrally symmetric convex bodies and the spherical Radon transform (Q811512)

The authors investigate the relationship between the geometry of centrally symmetric convex bodies and the spherical Radon transform \(R:C^{\infty}_ e(S^{d-1})\to C^{\infty}_ e (S^{d-1})\) on the space of infinitely differentiable even functions of the unit sphere, \(S^{d-1},\) given by \[ (Rf)(u)=\int_{S^{d-1}_ u} f(v)\nu_ u(dv). \] Here \(\nu_ u\) is the invariant probability measure on the great subsphere \(S^{d-1}_ u\) orthogonal to \(u\in S^{d-1}.\) The connection between these subjects is facilitated by studying the cosine transform \(T:C^ \infty_ e (S^{d-1})\to C^{\infty}_ e(S^{d- 1})\) given by \[ (Tf)(u)=\int_{S^{d-1}}|\langle u,v \rangle| f(v)\lambda (dv) \] where \(\lambda\) is spherical Lebesgue measure on \(S^{d-1}\) and \(\langle\;,\;\rangle\) denotes scalar product. It is shown that these two transforms are related by means of a second order differential operator. This connection is used to establish a zonal characterization of zonoids in even dimensions and some support properties of R. The authors also discuss the Christoffel problem in the context of centrally symmetric convex bodies. In addition they find some improved smoothness conditions on a support function which guarantee that it is the support function of a generalized zonoid.