The Zak transform on strongly proper $G$-spaces and its applications

Abstract

The Zak transform on $\mathbb{R}^d$ is an important tool in condensed matter physics, signal processing, time-frequency analysis, and harmonic analysis in general. This article introduces a generalization of the Zak transform to a class of locally compact $G$-spaces, where $G$ is either a locally compact abelian or a second countable unimodular type I group. This framework unifies previously proposed generalizations of the Zak transform. It is shown that the Zak transform has invariance properties analog to the classic case and is a Hilbert space isomorphism between the space of $L^2$-functions and a direct integral of Hilbert spaces that is explicitly determined via a Weil formula for $G$-spaces and a Poisson summation formula for compact subgroups. Some applications in physics are outlined.