Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2009/iii/paper-59/2/c/i/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2009 iii Paper 59 2 c i Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
An alpha-plane is a totally null complex two-plane with tangent vectors for a fixed primed spinor. A beta plane has tangent vectors for a fixed unprimed spinor. The metric tensor pairs two vectors of either family to zero, since the repeated fixed spinor contracts with an symplectic form. These are the two chiral families of totally null planes; labels for their self-duality depend on the orientation convention.
Globally in the twistor correspondence, writewhere is a line and a three-dimensional hyperplane in twistor space. Both compact families are Complex projective spaces .
For distinct , any must contain their two-dimensional span. Since itself has dimension two, it must equal that span. Conversely the span belongs to both planes. Thus two distinct compact alpha-planes meet in exactly one point:In affine coordinates, independent determine a unique matrix from the two incidence equations. If the primed spinors are proportional while the projective twistors are distinct, no finite affine solution exists. The compact intersection still exists, at conformal infinity; saying the planes are disjoint without this affine qualification would be wrong for the printed space .
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