Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2026/iii/paper-309/1/a/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2026 iii Paper 309 1 a Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-24
A Killing vector field obeys , or equivalently . Along an affinely parametrized geodesic with tangent ,The second term vanishes by the geodesic equation, while the first contracts the symmetric tensor with the antisymmetric part selected by the Killing equation. Thus is a geodesic conserved quantity from a Killing vector. In Minkowski spacetime, translational Killing fields give conserved energy-momentum and rotational or boost Killing fields give the corresponding angular-momentum and boost charges; the same construction works for any spacetime isometry.
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