A multidimensional change of variable problem

calculuschange-of-variableintegration

\begin{align}
\int\int{\exp(-k|x_1-x_2|^2)d^2x_1d^2x_2}
\end{align}

How to perform the integration of the integral above by changing the variable to the center of mass and relative coordinate,as below,
\begin{align}
u&=(x_2+x_1)\\
v&=\frac{1}{2}(x_2-x_1)
\end{align}

Best Answer

This is about the quantity $$Q:=\int_{{\mathbb R}^2\times{\mathbb R}^2}\exp\bigl(-k|x-y|^2\bigr)\>{\rm d}(x_1,x_2,y_1,y_2)\ .$$ Unfortunately $Q=\infty$. In order to show this we use the transformation $$x_1={u_1+v_1\over2},\quad y_1={v_1-u_1\over2},\quad x_2={u_2+v_2\over2},\quad y_2={v_2-u_2\over2}\ .\tag{1}$$ Then $x-y=(u_1,u_2)$, and the Jacobian of $(1)$ computes to ${1\over4}$. It follows that $$Q={1\over4}\int_{{\mathbb R}^2\times{\mathbb R}^2}\exp\bigl(-k(u_1^2+u_2^2)\bigr)\>{\rm d}(u_1,u_2,v_1,v_2)\ .$$ Here the $u$-integral is fine, but the $v$-integral is $=\infty$.

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