God and the Dirac Delta Function by Kallol Bhattacharya (khattacharya@gmail.

com)

Somewhere in some distant land two men with flowing white beard and learned countenances happened to cross paths in their journey through life. Each recognized the strange likeliness of his own self in the other, slowed down their pace, introduced themselves to each other with noble humility and shook hands. As providence would have it, they settled down to an illumination discourse which, having entangled myself in the space-time quagmire, I happened to overhear. The setting of this scene could be anywhere: a rusted bench by a forlorn lake or a stray moss-laden flattened rock at the bend of a mountainous path. Let us not vainly attempt to fix the exact location of their meeting in space and time and concentrate instead on the momentum of their conversation. I am a priest, said one, I have spent my life in pursuit of God. Folks lovingly call me Father. The other person embraced the speaker with the words, Dear sir, I am a mathematician by profession and I must admit my ignorance of Holy matters. But now that we have met, tell me sir, what is it that you find so compelling in the concept of God that you have devoted your life to Him? What not, my friend? He is infinite and incomprehensible, the object of our prayers, the creator of this universe. He reigns in everything we see around us. The blazing western sky with ever-changing shades of myriad colours, the gold streaked clouds and the serene sunset we now see before our eyes are all his handiwork. From the minutest particle of dust to the mighty Himalayas and the diverse flora and fauna mother earth nourishes, His command rules supreme. The purpose of this life is to realize this supreme being in our souls. The priest uttered these words with genuine feeling and engrossed in holy thoughts. The mathematician listened intently, trying to force upon him the others realization. Of course,

he had heard all these as a child, as every child does. However, with the passing of age and decades of dribbling in the complexities of mathematics, these very same words seemed to gather a new meaning. It seemed to suggest a new aphorism which had never crossed his mind. His eyes glittered with a new found ecstasy he had never experienced before. Restraining himself, he gently asked the priest, Tell me sir, has anyone ever realized God? Now, a priest has to deal with such questions almost everyday and he has a standard answer. The more you devote your life to his cause, the closer you get to God. But tell me, has anyone realized God? No sir, we can only go closer and closer. That is exactly the point, said the mathematician with a spark in his eyes, the attributes of God you talk of are all contained in the Dirac delta function! That needs some explanation. If you may prove it, I will have no hesitation to worship that strange delta! My dear sir, imagine a triangle of unit area with two equal sides and a horizontal base. Now contract the base and increase the height so as to keep the area constant. How far can you go? As he said these words, he gathered a twig and started scratching the dust, drawing one triangle after another, each of contracted base and increased height. The priest looked on with interest. You see sir, said the mathematician, when the base length goes to zero, the height of the triangle will be infinite. It is no longer a triangle, it is the Dirac delta function, or simply, the delta function. Instead of a triangle to start with, if we had taken the a closed curve - shaped as a church bell- which we call the Gaussian function, we would have led ourselves to the same delta function. We may not physically realize this function, but it is there in our minds eye, in our hearts and routinely used in scientific studies. I see your point, said the priest, but how does it compare to God? Can you prove that all things animate and inanimate are its creation? Neither can you say that conclusively for God. But, if you allow me, I will venture an explanation. If you imagine the direction of the base as the flow of time, what we finally

arrive at is the delta function in time. It represents an instant, the minutest you can imagine, the instant of Big Bang, the moment scientists believe the Universe was created. Out of this, we had light. Must be a figment of imagination! What has light to do with your delta function? These are mathematical complexities, sir. However, let me explain. Even before the delta function was conceived, a French gentleman by the name of Joseph Fourier put forward the proposition that revolutionized science. In modern terms Fouriers theorem simply states that all continuous and most discontinuous waveforms of a variable, for example time, whether they be repetitive or non repetitive, is simply a superposition of suitably weighted sinusoidal oscillations of the variable. You may not be familiar with such oscillations, sir, but the closest analogy is the ripples on the water surface. Imagine a small float on the ripples and you will notice it moving up and down in a regular fashion. This motion is typical of a sinusoidal wave in time. All that we perceive through vision is the result of these oscillating waves reaching our eye. The rate of oscillation determines colour. I am faintly aware of these sinusoidal oscillations that you describe so vividly. But where does your godly delta fit in all this?, quipped the priest. Have patience, sir. It can be easily shown that the delta function is nothing but the end result of the superposition of sinusoidal waves of all possible frequencies in equal measure. In short, all light and colours we see or do not see are inherent in the delta function. The vibrant colours on the wings of the butterfly, the stripes on the zebra, the blue of the sky and the glorious sunset colours that we now witness before us are all contained in the temporal delta function. And dear sir, why only light, this is equally true for all that we hear. This self-revelation gave our mathematician an inner satisfaction. He was not at war with God, but he seemed to have found a personal one. The priest was deep in contemplation. He believed in the honesty of the gentleman sitting before him. However, the concept of a mathematical function as God seemed incompatible with his conviction. I have no doubt of your mathematical correctness, but tell me, how does your delta function explain the various forms and shapes we see around us, who created them and how?

Dear sir, I have no idea and as my profession demands, I cannot speak without evidence. I do have my mystic spells, the awe that the starry sky instills in all of us, and I believe that forced pragmatism in everything spoils innocence, but in discourses such as these I will not let my personal mysticism weigh me down. You speak of the creation of shapes and forms. If you recall the delta function in space, this is the source of all shapes and forms we see around us. Just as the delta function in time may be construed out of infinite sinusoidal oscillations in time, its twin brethren, the delta function in space may be synthesized from infinite number of similar oscillations in space. And what may that be? A sinusoidal oscillation in space in the physical form we see at any instant of time across the radial cross section of the rippled water surface. This is also manifested in nature as the surface profile of regular sand dunes. Now, you have to take my word that all such spatial sinusoidal variations are contained in the delta function in space. In other words, such a delta function may be synthesized from the superposition of infinite number of such variations of equal height and varying spatial periods and directions. I am not used to such mathematical intricacies, said the priest, but I seem to get the feel of your logic. Whatever you had said of that delta in time seems to be equally true for the delta in space. And now you will perhaps proceed to show that the French gentlemans theory is applicable to spatial forms as well. Correct me if I am mistaken You surprise me sir! That is indeed what I was arriving at. The Fourier theorem in the space domain suggests that all structural forms, animate or inanimate, can be reconstructed from infinite number of suitable spatial sinusoidal variations, all of which are contained in the delta function. You see, sir, the delta function may therefore be treated as the source of all structures we can conceive of. I must acknowledge you ingenuity, sir. the priest observed with all humility, and I presume what you have explained is backed by profound knowledge. Supposing I accept that every colour and form we perceive and every sound we hear are contained in the delta function, can this delta explain who organized these forms to create the rhythm of the seasons, the ebb and the tide, the unfailing regularity in the rising and setting of the sun

and the moon? Who is it that gave us life? Can this delta function explain consciousness? How does this explain our emotions, our feelings the love and hatred we experience? For a long time silence ruled. The priest with searching eyes under furrowed brows kept looking at the mathematician. The latter was lost in thoughts. Finally he said, Father, I cannot answer that. You are intruding into my mystic world. The closest I can arrive at is the concept that order emerges from chaos. That we have proceeded this far from the Big Bang is enough evidence of this fact. Down to the core, all elements in nature are electrons and protons. It is their organization that gives iron its strength and gold its lustre. By deductive logic, perhaps, its the organization of inanimate atoms that lends life and consciousness. It would have been relieving indeed to attribute everything to a superior being, but science is a different game. It has to have its feet on solid ground and eyes towards the stars. As these words were spoken, the last streak of red started to mellow in the western horizon and the chill in the air could be felt. Reluctantly, both the men raised themselves, walked a few paces and embraced each other. In the background of the faintly lit sky the silhouettes of two bearded men be seen, laced with a faint glow. Father, said the mathematician, your company has given me much pleasure and a personal god, the Dirac delta function. I owe this to you. It may not be as powerful as the omnipotent supreme being, nevertheless, its the ideal we all try to reach and never truly can. I have to travel a long way. Farewell. Sir said the priest, I stand by my God, but this discourse has made me more humble. I shall remember the delta function. Farewell.