On a completeness problem in a Fourier-based probability metrics in $\mathbb{R}^N$

Abstract

We study completeness of the spaces $\mathcal{P}_s^=$ of probability measures in $\mathbb{R}^N$ which have equal (prescribed) moments up to order $s \in \mathbb{N}$, endowed with the metric $d_s(\mu,\nu)=\sup_{x \in \mathbb{R}^N\setminus 0}\frac{|\hat \mu(x)-\hat \nu(x)|}{|x|^s}$, where $\hat \mu$ is the characteristic function of $\mu$. We prove that the spaces $(\mathcal{P}_s^=,d_s)$ are complete if $s$ is even and construct suitable counterexamples to completeness for all odd $s$. This solves an open problem formulated by J. Carrillo and G. Toscani in 2007.