For a given complex function

, the Paley-Wiener theorem provides necessary and sufficient conditions, on the magnitude

, that there exists an "appropriate phase"

such that

, the Fourier transform of

, is a causal function. The theorem does not give a general way to derive this phase; it only proves its existence. The Fourier transform can also be calculated using asymptotic expansions and approximations such as the stationary phase method. That method can lead to a better knowledge of the conditions on the phase

to be an "appropriate" one.