Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2010/ii/paper-1/3f/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2010 ii Paper 1 3F Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-14
A plane plane crystallographic group is a discrete subgroup of the Euclidean isometry group with compact quotient. Its translations form a normal rank-two Euclidean lattice ; this is the standard translation-lattice structure of a plane crystallographic group. Its point group is the finite group of linear parts, equivalently the quotient by those translations. Conjugating a translation by an isometry sends its translation vector to its image under the linear part, so every point-group element preserves .
Choose a Euclidean lattice basis. A rotational linear part is then represented by an integer matrix , since it sends the basis to Euclidean lattice vectors. In an orthonormal basis the same map has eigenvalues , and its trace is independent of basis. ThusThese possibilities give rotation angles, modulo a full turn, , , , , and , respectively. Consequently the crystallographic restriction theorem isThe restriction comes from integrality of the Euclidean lattice action, not simply from finiteness of the point group.
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