Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2017/iii/paper-301/2/d/iv/solution

Since , apply the commutator derivation identity to this commutator and insert part (ii):
This is exactly the printed Lorentz algebra relation, including its final two signs; their alternative appearance in other formulas comes from . Therefore the matrices S form a representation of the Lorentz algebra. Their definition contains no extra factor of , so the spatial rotation generators below are represented by skew-Hermitian matrices. Adding a factor of would change the convention for the Lie algebra structure constants and cannot be done silently.

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