On phase retrieval for continuous and discrete Fourier transforms

Abstract

We continue studies on phase retrieval for continuous and discrete Fourier transforms in multidimensions. Using finite difference operators, we give a large class of unexpected examples of non-uniqueness for this problem, including examples with the sparsity condition. A prototype of this construction in the continuous case is given in the work Novikov, Xu (JFAA, 2026), using linear differential operators. The construction of the present work also yields a large class of non-trivial Pauli partners, i.e., different functions with the same intensities in both configuration and Fourier domains. Besides, our construction yields examples that solve an old open question in phase retrieval with background information arising in many areas including Fourier holography.