# How do I integrate this function in python?

Essentially this is the problem:

$\hat{F}(\omega) = \int_0^{\infty} f(s)e^{-i\omega s}ds$

The function $f$ is in general complex valued. I know this looks like the fourier transform but I don't want to view it that way. So in my implementation $f(s)$ and $\omega$ are going to be numpy vectors representing the sampled values of the true function or range. For my purposes I want to evaluate the integral for

omega = np.linspace(-30,30,0.1)


i.e. $-30\le\omega \le30$ with spacing of $0.1$

Can someone suggest a python implementation for this? I have done some quick research and some sources suggest using 'Gauss Laguerre' integration routine. I'm not sure why, but if someone could motivate this I would be grateful.

Even if you don't want to interpret the results as a Fourier transform, can't you make use of the builtin FT routines in numpy as an efficient way to evaluate the integral?

• Thanks for your comment. For this case yes, but in the general case the exponent may be different to what the FT dictates. – Dipole May 29 '14 at 15:58
• Well, what would that exponent be then? The way you phrase the question means that your computing a Fourier transform, and there are very efficient ways to do that. If you want something else, it would be useful to state what "something else" is in your question. – Wolfgang Bangerth May 30 '14 at 2:02