Background:
Given an extension of finite fields $\mathbb{F}_{q^r} / \mathbb{F}_q$ where $q$ is a prime power, the field trace with respect to this extension is given by $$\text{tr}_{\mathbb{F}_{q^r} / \mathbb{F}_q}(\alpha) = \underset{i=0}{\overset{r-1}{\sum}} \alpha^{q^i}.$$ A property of the field trace here is that if we fix a basis $\mathcal{B} = \{ \zeta_0,\dots,\zeta_{r-1}\}$ for the extension, with corresponding dual basis $\{ \nu_0,\dots,\nu_{r-1}\}$ of $\mathcal{B}$, then for each $\alpha \in \mathbb{F}_{q^r}$, $$\alpha = \underset{i=0}{\overset{r-1}{\sum}} \text{tr}_{\mathbb{F}_{q^r} / \mathbb{F}_q}(\zeta_i \alpha) \nu_i.$$
Question:
I think the property above has to do with inner products more generally, and I was wondering what the result for more general inner product spaces is, particularly for fields of characteristic 0.
I don't do functional analysis much anymore, is my issue here :)
– Aidan W. Murphy Oct 10 '21 at 15:30