Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2005/iii/paper-4/4/v/solution

The root-space decomposition gives when . The two roots are independent, so , and the missing root sum means that this weight space is zero. Hence . These adjoint root operators are nilpotent: successive brackets shift root weights by the same root, so finite root strings force eventual vanishing; on the Cartan subalgebra the first bracket lies in its root space and the next is zero. By part (iv), the nilpotent operators and commute. Every power of therefore commutes with every power of , so their finite matrix exponentials commute too. Using the inverses proved in part (ii),

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