A distribution framework for the generalized Fourier transform associated with a Sturm--Liouville operator

The generalized Fourier transform associated with a selfadjoint Sturm--Liouville operator is a unitary transformation which converts the action of this operator into a simple product by a spectral variable. For a particular operator defined on the half-line and which involves a step function, we show how to extend such a transformation to generalized functions, or distributions, with a suitable definition of such distributions. This extension is based essentially on the fact that, as the usual Fourier transform, this transformation has the property to exchange regularity and decay between the physical and spectral variables.