Ramanujan sums and discrete Fourier transforms

Abstract

A special class of even-symmetric periodic signals is introduced. The most distinctive feature of these signals is that their real-valued Fourier coefficients can be calculated by forming a weighted average of the signal values using integer-valued coefficients. The signals arise from number-theoretic concepts concerning a class of functions called even arithmetical functions. The integer-valued weighting coefficients, being sums of complex roots of unity, are the Ramanujan sums and may be computed recursively or through closed-form arithmetical relations. The recursive method of computation is based on the cyclotomic polynomials and is described in detail. If the signal values are integers, the computation of the discrete Fourier transform (DFT) coefficients of this class of signals can be performed in an exact quantization-error-free manner by performing arithmetical operations on integers. The theoretical development is supplemented by concrete examples.