In mathematics and signal processing, the Z-transform converts a discrete-time signal, which is a sequence of real or complex numbers, into a complex frequency-domain (the z-domain or z-plane) representation.
It can be considered a discrete-time equivalent of the Laplace transform (the s-domain or s-plane). This similarity is explored in the theory of time-scale calculus.
While the continuous-time Fourier transform is evaluated on the s-domain's vertical axis (the imaginary axis), the discrete-time Fourier transform is evaluated along the z-domain's unit circle. The s-domain's left half-plane maps to the area inside the z-domain's unit circle, while the s-domain's right half-plane maps to the area outside of the z-domain's unit circle.
One of the means of designing digital filters is to take analog designs, subject them to a bilinear transform which maps them from the s-domain to the z-domain, and then produce the digital filter by inspection, manipulation, or numerical approximation. Such methods tend not to be accurate except in the vicinity of the complex unity, i.e. at low frequencies.
History
The basic idea now known as the Z-transform was known to Laplace, and it was re-introduced in 1947 by W. Hurewicz and others as a way to treat sampled-data control systems used with radar. It gives a tractable way to solve linear, constant-coefficient difference equations. It was later dubbed "the z-transform" by Ragazzini and Zadeh in the sampled-data control group at Columbia University in 1952.
The modified or advanced Z-transform was later developed and popularized by E. I. Jury.
The idea contained within the Z-transform is also known in mathematical literature as the method of generating functions which can be traced back as early as 1730 when it was introduced by de Moivre in conjunction with probability theory. From a mathematical view the Z-transform can also be viewed as a Laurent series where one views the sequence of numbers under consideration as the (Laurent) expansion of an analytic function.
Definition
The Z-transform can be defined as either a one-sided or two-sided transform. (Just like we have the one-sided Laplace transform and the two-sided Laplace transform.)
Bilateral Z-transform
The bilateral or two-sided Z-transform of a discrete-time signal is the formal power series defined as:
where is an integer and is, in general, a complex number. In polar form, may be written as:
where is the magnitude of , is the imaginary unit, and is the complex argument (also referred to as angle or phase) in radians.
Unilateral Z-transform
Alternatively, in cases where is defined only for , the single-sided or unilateral Z-transform is defined as:
In signal processing, this definition can be used to evaluate the Z-transform of the unit impulse response of a discrete-time causal system.
An important example of the unilateral Z-transform is the probability-generating function, where the component is the probability that a discrete random variable takes the value , and the function is usually written as in terms of . The properties of Z-transforms (listed in ) have useful interpretations in the context of probability theory.
Inverse Z-transform
The inverse Z-transform is:
where is a counterclockwise closed path encircling the origin and entirely in the region of convergence (ROC). In the case where the ROC is causal (see Example 2), this means the path must encircle all of the poles of .
A special case of this contour integral occurs when is the unit circle. This contour can be used when the ROC includes the unit circle, which is always guaranteed when is stable, that is, when all the poles are inside the unit circle. With this contour, the inverse Z-transform simplifies to the inverse discrete-time Fourier transform, or Fourier series, of the periodic values of the Z-transform around the unit circle:
The Z-transform with a finite range of and a finite number of uniformly spaced values can be computed efficiently via Bluestein's FFT algorithm. The discrete-time Fourier transform (DTFT)—not to be confused with the discrete Fourier transform (DFT)—is a special case of such a Z-transform obtained by restricting to lie on the unit circle.
Region of convergence
The region of convergence (ROC) is the set of points in the complex plane for which the Z-transform summation converges (i.e. doesn't blow up in magnitude to infinity):
Example 1 (no ROC) Let Expanding on the interval it becomes
Looking at the sum
Therefore, there are no values of that satisfy this condition.
Example 2 (causal ROC)