From exact systems to Riesz bases in the Balian-Low theorem

Shahaf Nitzan, Jan-Fredrik Olsen

Published 2009-06-12, updated 2010-01-20Version 2

We look at the time-frequency localisation of generators of lattice Gabor systems. For a generator of a Riesz basis, this localisation is described by the classical Balian-Low theorem. We establish Balian-Low type theorems for complete and minimal Gabor systems with a frame-type approximation property. These results describe how the best possible localisation of a generator is limited by the degree of control over the coefficients in approximations given by the system, and provide a continuous transition between the classical Balian-Low conditions and the corresponding conditions for generators of complete and minimal systems. Moreover, this holds for the non-symmetric generalisations of these theorems as well.