[Math] question on the proof of uniqueness of completion

analysisfunctional-analysisisometry

In the book by Erwin Kreyszig, "Introductory Functional Analysis with Applications":

I don't understand something in proof of completion theorem.
In the fourth part of proof that about uniqueness of completion.
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The question is why the distances on $\tilde{X}$ and $\hat{X}$ must be the same?
Can anyone explain that for me 🙂

Best Answer

I’ll expand on Kreyszig’s argument. I don’t have the book, so it’s possible that some of what I’m about to do duplicates earlier parts of his proof.

We start with two completions of $\langle X,d\rangle$, $\langle\hat X,\hat d\rangle$ and $\langle\tilde X,\tilde d\rangle$. This means that there are $W\subseteq\hat X$ and $\tilde W\subseteq\tilde X$ such that

  • $W$ is dense in $\hat X$,
  • $\tilde W$ is dense in $\tilde X$,
  • there is an isometry $T:X\to\hat X$ such that $T[X]=W$, and
  • there is an isometry $\tilde T:X\to\tilde X$ such that $\tilde T[X]=\tilde W$.

We want to show that there is an isometry $h:\tilde X\to\hat X$ such that $h\upharpoonright\tilde W=T\circ\tilde T^{-1}:\tilde W\to W$.

Let $\tilde x\in\tilde X$. $\tilde W$ is dense in $\tilde X$, so for each $n\in\Bbb Z^+$ there is a point $\tilde x_n\in B_{\tilde d}\left(\tilde x,\frac1n\right)\cap\tilde W$. Clearly the sequence $\langle\tilde x_n:n\in\Bbb Z^+\rangle$ converges to $\tilde x$ in $\tilde X$. For each $n\in\Bbb Z^+$ let $x_n=\tilde T^{-1}(\tilde x_n)$ and $\hat x_n=T(x_n)\in\hat X$. $\tilde T$ and $T$ are isometries, so for all $m,n\in\Bbb Z^+$ we have

$$\hat d(\hat x_m,\hat x_n)=\tilde d(\tilde x_m,\tilde x_n)\;.\tag{1}$$

The sequence $\langle\tilde x_n:n\in\Bbb Z^+\rangle$ is convergent in $\tilde X$, so it’s Cauchy, and it follows immediately from $(1)$ that $\langle\hat x_n:n\in\Bbb Z^+\rangle$ is Cauchy in $\hat X$. And $\hat X$ is complete, so $\langle\hat x_n:n\in\Bbb Z^+\rangle$ must converge to some $\hat x\in\hat X$.

Suppose that $\langle\tilde x_n':n\in\Bbb Z^+\rangle$ is another sequence in $\tilde W$ converging to $\tilde x$. For each $\epsilon>0$ there is an $m_\epsilon\in\Bbb Z^+$ such that $\tilde d(\tilde x_n,\tilde x),\tilde d(\tilde x_n',\tilde x)<\frac{\epsilon}2$ whenever $n\ge m_\epsilon$, and hence

$$\tilde d(\tilde x_n,\tilde x_n')\le\tilde d(\tilde x_n,\tilde x)+\tilde d(\tilde x,\tilde x_n')<\frac{\epsilon}2+\frac{\epsilon}2=\epsilon$$

whenever $n\ge m_\epsilon$. For each $n\in\Bbb Z^+$ let $x_n'=\tilde T^{-1}(\tilde x_n')\in X$ and $\hat x_n'=T(x_n')\in\hat X$. Again using the fact that $\tilde T$ and $T$ are isometries, we have $\hat d(\hat x_n,\hat x_n')=\tilde d(\tilde x_n,\tilde x_n')$ for each $n\in\Bbb Z^+$, and hence $\hat d(\hat x_n,\hat x_n')<\epsilon$ whenever $n\ge m_\epsilon$.

Let $\epsilon>0$. Since $\langle\hat x_n:n\in\Bbb Z^+\rangle$ converges to $\hat x$ in $\hat X$, there is a $k_\epsilon$ such that $\hat d(\hat x_n,\hat x)<\frac{\epsilon}2$ whenever $n\ge k_\epsilon$. Thus,

$$\hat d(\hat x_n',\hat x)\le\hat d(\hat x_n',\hat x_n)+\hat d(\hat x_n,\hat x)<\frac{\epsilon}2+\frac{\epsilon}2=\epsilon$$

whenever $n\ge\max\{k_\epsilon,m_{\epsilon/2}\}$, and $\langle\hat x_n':n\in\Bbb Z^+\rangle$ also converges to $\hat x$.

This shows that the map $h:\tilde X\to\hat X$ defined by $h(\tilde x)=\hat x$ is well-defined: no matter which sequence in $\tilde W$ converging to $\tilde x$ I use to define $\hat x$, I get the same point of $hat X$. Moreover, if $\tilde x\in\tilde W$, then I can let $\tilde x_n=\tilde x$ for each $n\in\Bbb Z^+$ and see that $h(\tilde x)=T\left(\tilde T^{-1}(\tilde x)\right)$, so that $h\upharpoonright\tilde W=T\circ\tilde T^{-1}$, as desired.

Now we have to check that $h$ is an isometry.

Let $\tilde x$ and $\tilde y$ be any two points in $\tilde X$, and let $\langle\tilde x_n:n\in\Bbb Z^+\rangle$ and $\langle\tilde y_n:n\in\Bbb Z^+\rangle$ be sequences in $\tilde W$ converging to $\tilde x$ and $\tilde y$, respectively. Then the sequence $\big\langle\langle\tilde x_n,\tilde y_n\rangle:n\in\Bbb Z^+\big\rangle$ converges to $\langle\tilde x,\tilde y\rangle$ in the space $\tilde X\times\tilde X$. The metric $\tilde d$ is a continuous function from $\tilde X\times\tilde X$ to $\Bbb R$, so the sequence $\langle\tilde d(\tilde x_n,\tilde y_n):n\in\Bbb Z^+\rangle$ converges to $\tilde d(\tilde x,\tilde y)$ in $\Bbb R$.

As before, for each $n\in\Bbb Z^+$ let $x_n=\tilde T^{-1}(\tilde x_n)\in X$, and let $\hat x_n=T(x_n)\in W$, so that $\langle\hat x_n:n\in\Bbb Z^+\rangle$ converges to $h(\tilde x)$ in $\hat X$. Similarly, for each $n\in\Bbb Z^+$ let $y_n=\tilde T^{-1}(\tilde y_n)\in X$ and $\hat y_n=T(y_n)\in W$, so that $\langle\hat y_n:n\in\Bbb Z^+\rangle$ converges to $h(\tilde y)$.

The same argument that I used to show that $\langle\tilde d(\tilde x_n,\tilde y_n):n\in\Bbb Z^+\rangle$ converges to $\tilde d(\tilde x,\tilde y)$ in $\Bbb R$ can be used to show that $\langle\hat d(\hat x_n,\hat y_n):n\in\Bbb Z^+\rangle$ converges to $\hat d(\hat x,\hat y)$ in $\Bbb R$. But $\tilde d(\tilde x_n,\tilde y_n)=d(x_n,y_n)=\hat d(\hat x_n,\hat y_n)$ for each $n\in\Bbb Z^+$, so

$$\hat d\big(h(x),h(y)\big)=\lim_{n\to\infty}\hat d(\hat x_n,\hat y_n)=\lim_{n\to\infty}\tilde d(\tilde x_n,\tilde y_n)=\tilde d(\tilde x,\tilde y)\;,$$

and $h$ is indeed an isometry.

The last step is to show that $h$ maps $\tilde X$ onto $\hat X$. Let $\hat x\in\hat X$ be arbitrary. $W$ is dense in $\hat X$, so there is a sequence $\langle\hat x_n:n\in\Bbb Z^+\rangle$ in $W$ converging to $\hat x$. Use the ideas above to show that the sequence

$$\left\langle\tilde T\left(T^{-1}(\hat x_n)\right):n\in\Bbb Z^+\right\rangle$$

in $\tilde W$ is Cauchy and therefore converges to some $\tilde x\in\tilde X$; then show that $\hat x=h(\tilde x)$.

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