[guided]The Cauchy-Schwarz bound from Step 1 has a known sharpness condition, and exploiting it produces the required maximiser explicitly. Consider the inequality $|\sum_k a_k\, \overline{b_k}| \le \|a\|_{\ell^2}\, \|b\|_{\ell^2}$ applied to the sequences $a_k := (1+|k|^2)^{s/2}\, \hat{f}(k)$ and $b_k := (1+|k|^2)^{-s/2}\, \overline{\hat{g}(k)}$. Equality in Cauchy-Schwarz on $\ell^2$ holds if and only if there is a single complex constant $c \in \mathbb{C}$ (not depending on $k$) such that $a_k = c\, b_k$ for all $k$.
**Solving the equality condition.** We choose $c = 1$ for normalisation. Then $a_k = b_k$ becomes
\begin{align*}
(1+|k|^2)^{s/2}\, \hat{f}(k) = (1+|k|^2)^{-s/2}\, \overline{\hat{g}(k)},
\end{align*}
which solves to $\hat{f}(k) = (1+|k|^2)^{-s}\, \overline{\hat{g}(k)}$. However, our pairing is $\sum_k \hat{f}(k)\, \overline{\hat{g}(k)}$, and we want the summand to be a non-negative real number so that the absolute value of the sum equals the sum of the moduli. Substituting this candidate gives $\hat f(k) \overline{\hat g(k)} = (1+|k|^2)^{-s} \overline{\hat g(k)}^{\,2}$, which is generally complex. To force the summand to be $(1+|k|^2)^{-s}\, |\hat g(k)|^2 \ge 0$, the correct normalisation is to instead take
\begin{align*}
\hat{f}_*(k) := (1+|k|^2)^{-s}\, \hat{g}(k).
\end{align*}
Then $|\hat f_*(k)| = (1+|k|^2)^{-s}\, |\hat g(k)|$, which still saturates Cauchy-Schwarz pointwise (since $|a_k| = |b_k|$ everywhere), and the phase is aligned so that $\hat f_*(k)\, \overline{\hat g(k)} = (1+|k|^2)^{-s}\, |\hat g(k)|^2 \in \mathbb{R}_{\ge 0}$.
**Verification that $f_* \in H^s$.** We invoke the Fourier model of $H^s(\mathbb{T}^n)$ from [Theorem 3132](/theorems/3132): the assignment $f \leftrightarrow (\hat f(k))_k$ is an isometric isomorphism between $H^s(\mathbb{T}^n)$ and the weighted $\ell^2$-space $\{(c_k) : \sum_k (1+|k|^2)^s |c_k|^2 < \infty\}$. Theorem 3132 thus tells us that to construct $f_* \in H^s$ from a prescribed Fourier sequence, we must verify the sequence lies in this weighted $\ell^2$-space. We compute
\begin{align*}
\sum_k (1+|k|^2)^s\, |\hat f_*(k)|^2 = \sum_k (1+|k|^2)^s\, (1+|k|^2)^{-2s}\, |\hat g(k)|^2 = \sum_k (1+|k|^2)^{-s}\, |\hat g(k)|^2 = \|g\|_{H^{-s}}^2,
\end{align*}
which is finite by hypothesis. The hypothesis of Theorem 3132 is met, and $f_* \in H^s(\mathbb{T}^n)$ exists with $\|f_*\|_{H^s} = \|g\|_{H^{-s}}$.
**Computing the pairing at $f_*$.** Substituting:
\begin{align*}
\Theta_g(f_*) = \sum_k \hat f_*(k)\, \overline{\hat g(k)} = \sum_k (1+|k|^2)^{-s}\, \hat g(k)\, \overline{\hat g(k)} = \sum_k (1+|k|^2)^{-s}\, |\hat g(k)|^2 = \|g\|_{H^{-s}}^2.
\end{align*}
The ratio is $|\Theta_g(f_*)| / \|f_*\|_{H^s} = \|g\|_{H^{-s}}^2 / \|g\|_{H^{-s}} = \|g\|_{H^{-s}}$. Combined with $\|\Theta_g\|_{(H^s)^*} \le \|g\|_{H^{-s}}$ from Step 1, we conclude $\|\Theta_g\|_{(H^s)^*} = \|g\|_{H^{-s}}$.
The case $g = 0$ is trivial (both norms vanish). The map $g \mapsto \Theta_g$ is thus an isometry — norm-preserving, hence injective.
**Why this argument works.** The maximiser $f_*$ is essentially unique up to a positive scalar: the equality condition in Cauchy-Schwarz on $\ell^2$ pins down the proportionality $a_k = c\, b_k$, and the requirement that $\Theta_g(f_*)$ be real and positive (so that the absolute value of the sum equals the sum of moduli, saturating the triangle inequality as well as Cauchy-Schwarz) fixes the phase. The construction $\hat f_*(k) = (1+|k|^2)^{-s}\, \hat g(k)$ realises both: it makes the weighted sequences $(a_k), (b_k)$ have the same moduli pointwise, and it aligns the phase of each summand of the pairing so that $\hat f_*(k)\, \overline{\hat g(k)} = (1+|k|^2)^{-s}\, |\hat g(k)|^2$ is real and non-negative for every $k$. The supremum defining the operator norm is therefore an attained maximum, and the upper bound from Step 1 cannot be loose.[/guided]