Adjoint bundle 2026-10-06
The adjoint bundle is the associated vector bundle for the Adjoint representation of a Lie group on its Lie algebra. The gauge curvature of a principal connection is globally a two-form with values in this bundle. Differences of principal connections and their infinitesimal variations are one-forms with values in the same bundle.
If a Lie group has an Adjoint representation of a Lie group element with a real eigenvector of eigenvalue whose modulus differs from one, it has no bi-invariant Riemannian metric. Conjugation is a composition of left and right translations, hence would preserve the positive identity inner product. Applying it to that eigenvector gives , a contradiction. The orientation-preserving affine group of the real line supplies a connected example: conjugation by dilation of factor two multiplies the infinitesimal translation by two.
Bi-invariant Riemannian metric 2026-10-05
A Riemannian metric on a Lie group is bi-invariant if both left and right translations are isometries. Its identity inner product is invariant under the Adjoint representation of a Lie group; infinitesimally,This skew-adjointness is the key additional property beyond left invariance.
Every scalar holomorphic function on a compact connected complex manifold is constant by the maximum modulus principle. Apply this to each entry of the holomorphic Adjoint representation of a Lie group; its value is constantly the identity. Differentiation makes the complex Lie algebra abelian, hence connectedness makes the group abelian. The holomorphic Lie exponential map identifies it with modulo a discrete subgroup. Compactness forces that subgroup to span the underlying real vector space, giving a full-rank Euclidean lattice and a complex torus.
Complex Lie group 2026-10-14
A complex Lie group is a complex manifold whose multiplication and inversion are holomorphic maps between complex manifolds. Its tangent space at the identity is a complex Lie algebra; the Adjoint representation of a Lie group and the Lie exponential map are holomorphic. Compatibility with a complex manifold structure is essential: an arbitrary even-dimensional real Lie group need not have holomorphic multiplication.
Lie algebra of a closed subgroup 2026-10-14
For a closed subgroup of a Lie group, this set is a real Lie subalgebra. Scalar closure is immediate; the Lie product formula in a Lie group and closedness of give addition. It is a closed vector subspace, also directly by continuity of the Exponential map of a Lie group. Conjugating its one-parameter subgroups by elements of preserves it. Differentiating the Adjoint representation of a Lie group along gives for . After the closed-subgroup theorem establishes smoothness, is exactly the tangent space .
Lie bracket from local group commutators 2026-10-06
In a local exponential chart, the mixed second differential of the group commutator defines a bilinear map on the tangent space at the identity. Inversion after swapping the two group elements proves antisymmetry. Differentiating conjugation gives ; applying naturality of the Lie bracket to the Adjoint representation of a Lie group then proves the Jacobi identity. For a matrix group this recovers by expanding through the mixed term.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2003 iii Paper 1 3 i Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
For the embedded Lie group, the tangent space consists of velocities of smooth curves in satisfying . The ambient coordinates identify these velocities with vectors in , but the tangent space itself is intrinsic. Let . Since this conjugation map fixes , its derivative defines the Adjoint representation of a Lie group:The inverse is , and gives . Thus this is a smooth group homomorphism into the linear automorphisms of .
Differentiate that representation at the identity. The tangent space of at its identity is , so is a linear map from into those endomorphisms. The Lie bracket isEquivalently, if and , this is the mixed derivative at of in ambient coordinates. For a matrix Lie group, conjugation is ordinary matrix conjugation and this formula reduces to .
The checks required are that the derivative is independent of the representing curves, that it is bilinear and alternating, and that it satisfies the Jacobi identity. One must also check that each preserves this bracket. Equivalently identify with its left-invariant vector field ; the bracket above agrees with the Lie bracket of vector fields at . These checks make a Lie algebra and upgrade the adjoint maps to its Lie algebra automorphisms.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2003 iii Paper 16 5 c Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
Consider the orientation-preserving affine group of the real line, realized asThe coordinates identify it smoothly with , so this Lie group is connected. Choose the Lie algebra element and the group element :Direct matrix multiplication gives .
If a bi-invariant Riemannian metric existed, every conjugation map would be an isometry fixing the identity. Its differential there, the Adjoint representation of a Lie group, would preserve the positive-definite inner product at the identity. Thusa contradiction since . Therefore this connected Lie group admits no bi-invariant Riemannian metric. This is the adjoint dilation obstruction to a bi-invariant Riemannian metric, an elementary alternative permitted by the question. The positive definite Riemannian metric interpretation matters; no claim about indefinite metrics is needed.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2004 iii Paper 19 5 c Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
Take the orientation-preserving affine group of the real line, written asIt is a connected Lie group, since its underlying manifold is . We use the permitted alternative to part (a), a direct obstruction from the Adjoint representation of a Lie group.
If a bi-invariant Riemannian metric existed, conjugation would be an isometry, being a composition of a left and a right translation. Its differential at the identity would preserve the positive inner product on the Lie algebra. Let be the nonzero infinitesimal translation,Direct multiplication gives . Metric invariance would then imply , impossible for a nonzero vector in a positive inner product. Therefore this connected affine Lie group has no bi-invariant Riemannian metric. This is the adjoint dilation obstruction to a bi-invariant Riemannian metric; allowing an indefinite metric would be a different question.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2004 iii Paper 20 1 ii Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
A complex analytic Lie group is a complex manifold whose multiplication and inversion are holomorphic maps between complex manifolds. Its identity tangent space is a complex Lie algebra, and the Adjoint representation of a Lie groupis holomorphic: differentiating the holomorphic conjugation map with respect to its second variable gives holomorphically varying matrix entries.
Every scalar holomorphic function on a compact connected complex manifold is constant. Indeed its modulus attains a maximum; the maximum modulus principle, applied in complex coordinate charts and along complex lines, makes it locally constant there, and connectedness propagates that constancy. Apply this to each entry of . Since , it follows that for every . Differentiation givesThus is abelian, and the connected group is abelian by the identity-neighbourhood argument in part (i). This proves that compact connected complex Lie groups are complex tori.
If , identify with . The Lie exponential map is holomorphic, additive, onto, and a local biholomorphism, by the holomorphic left-invariant differential equation and its identity derivative. Its kernel is a discrete subgroup of the additive space . The induced map yieldsas complex Lie groups, not merely as real groups. Compactness further forces to be a full-rank real lattice. If its real span were proper, projection would give a surjective continuous map , contradicting compactness. The discrete-subgroup argument in part (i) therefore gives . The quotient is a complex torus; it need not split into one-dimensional complex tori.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2004 iii Paper 58 1 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
For the Lie algebra of a Lie group , let . The Killing form is the symmetric bilinear formFor a finite-dimensional real Lie algebra, the Cartan criterion for semisimplicity says that is nondegenerate precisely when is a semisimple Lie algebra. Thus a semisimple Lie group supplies the required condition. Compactness alone is insufficient: an abelian Lie algebra, including that of a torus, has zero Killing form.
The Jacobi identity gives . Cyclic invariance of the trace therefore givesThere is also invariance under the full Adjoint representation of a Lie group: , so .
Define a pseudo-Riemannian metric by translating from the identity:It is smooth and nondegenerate. Left translations preserve it by construction. Right translation, expressed in left-translated tangent coordinates, acts by , so it also preserves the metric. This constructs a bi-invariant pseudo-Riemannian metric.
For left-invariant vector fields, the derivative terms in the Koszul formula vanish. Invariance of then givesUse the Riemann curvature tensor convention . Substituting the Levi-Civita connection and using the Jacobi identity yieldsThe Ricci tensor is the trace of . Since , it follows thatThis is the Killing-form Einstein metric. Rescaling to , with nonzero constant , gives Einstein metric constant .
For a compact semisimple Lie group, is negative definite and is a positive-definite bi-invariant Riemannian metric. For example, has topology and metric signature for , while has the same Lie algebra and metric signature, but topology . The special linear group has metric signature and topology ; its universal covering Lie group has topology and the same Killing form. The real Lie algebra of has metric signature , and the group has topology . Thus the Killing form distinguishes compact from noncompact directions in these semisimple examples, but does not determine global topology or distinguish different covering groups.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2004 iii Paper 58 4 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
Use ambient quadratic form . The printed sine coordinate has a duplicated superscript: it must be , not another . With that correction the embedding lies on . Put . Differentiating the two timelike coordinates giveswhereas the two spatial coordinates give . Their difference is the induced Lorentzian metricThe polar coordinate collapses at ; this is a coordinate degeneracy, not a degeneracy of the metric.
For the matrix model of anti-de Sitter three-space, defineThen . This linear identification of ambient space with real two-by-two matrices identifies with . Its inverse recovers each by sums and differences of matrix entries, so the identification is global. The identity corresponds to and the other coordinates zero. For a traceless tangent matrix , the induced squared norm isPolarization gives .
The Killing form of is . This normalization can be checked without assuming it: for , and , the brackets are , , . Taking traces of their three-dimensional adjoint matrices gives , , and all other basis pairings zero. These agree with .
Both left and right multiplication by matrices in preserve , hence its polarized ambient bilinear form and the induced metric. Equality at the identity therefore propagates throughout the group:In particular the Killing-form Einstein metric calculation gives , consistent with unit-radius three-dimensional Anti-de Sitter spacetime.
Every element of preserves the ambient quadratic form, hence the hyperboloid and its induced metric, and so acts by isometries. Define the left-right double cover of SO0(2,2) byThis is a group homomorphism, since successive actions multiply the two factors in the same order. It preserves ; as a transformation of the four-dimensional matrix space it has determinant . Thus it takes values in .
If its action is the identity, applying it to gives . Commuting with every matrix then forces to be scalar. The condition leaves only or . HenceThe differential is . A zero differential implies and that is scalar; tracelessness makes . It is therefore an isomorphism onto the target Lie algebra, since both dimensions are six. The image is an open subgroup. Since is connected, the image is connected and is exactly the identity component : an open subgroup of a connected group is also closed and must be the whole group. Thus the precise covering statement isIt is not onto the disconnected full . For example, conjugation , , sends to and belongs to the other component of . It reverses the orientation of the negative two-plane and is not in the image of the connected source.
The Adjoint representation of a Lie group of preserves its Killing form of metric signature and gives a second double cover,Its kernel is the scalar centre; its differential is injective and both dimensions are three, so the same connected-image argument proves surjectivity onto the identity component. The full again has an additional component. Thus is locally the same Lie group geometry as , with its Killing metric, and globally is its central quotient.
With the printed periodic time, the group model has topology and closed timelike curves, since varying at fixed spatial position gives a timelike circle. The causally unwrapped version of Anti-de Sitter spacetime instead has and is the universal covering Lie group. It must not be substituted silently for the periodic spacetime specified here.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2008 iii Paper 59 4 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
A Poisson manifold is a smooth manifold with a bilinear bracket on smooth functions that is antisymmetric, obeys the Leibniz rule and satisfies the Jacobi identity. Equivalently, a Poisson tensor gives . Its rank need not be constant or maximal. Here define Hamiltonian evolution by , agreeing with the canonical bracket .
A smooth Lie group action sends each along its orbit , with stabilizer . If the action is free and proper, the orbit space is a smooth quotient manifold and the projection is a submersion. Without these hypotheses the quotient can have singular orbit-type strata, or even fail to be Hausdorff. For an action preserving the Poisson bracket, invariant functions form a Poisson subalgebra. On a smooth quotient , their identification with smooth quotient functions definesThus is a Poisson map. The quotient is generally Poisson, not necessarily symplectic: different reduced momentum sectors can be different leaves. An arbitrary smooth group action alone does not guarantee this bracket descent.
For a Lie group , conjugation differentiates at the identity to the Adjoint representation of a Lie group, . Its infinitesimal version is . The coadjoint representation on the dual space is defined byThe inverse in the first formula makes this a left action. These definitions distinguish the representation on infinitesimal generators from its dual action on momenta.
There is a natural positive Lie-Poisson bracket on :The differentials lie in . In a basis with , linear coordinates satisfy . The bracket extends by the chain rule and Leibniz rule to smooth functions. Its coordinate Jacobi condition reduces precisely to the Jacobi identity for , proving that it is Poisson. Reversing its overall sign also gives a Poisson bracket and is useful for body-frame conventions below.
On a general Poisson manifold, the vectors span a distribution. The Jacobi identity closes this family under commutators, and its orbits under Hamiltonian flows form the symplectic foliation. On each leaf the induced two-form satisfiesIt is well-defined after quotienting out differential covectors giving zero Hamiltonian vector field, is nondegenerate on the leaf, and is closed by the Jacobi identity. Leaf dimensions can vary, so ordinary constant-rank foliation terminology must be qualified. A Hamiltonian trajectory remains in one leaf; a Casimir function of a Poisson manifold is constant along all such trajectories, but its level set can contain more than one leaf.
For , under the convention above. Hence the connected coadjoint orbits are exactly its symplectic leaves for connected ; for disconnected , take connected orbit components. The orbit two-form is the Kirillov–Kostant–Souriau symplectic form:If a generator is in the stabilizer, its pairing with every bracket vanishes, proving independence of the choice of tangent generator. Conversely, vanishing pairing with all tangent generators puts it in that stabilizer, proving nondegeneracy. The cyclic derivative relation giving is the Lie algebra Jacobi identity. This explains the symplectic structure of the orbit rather than just naming it.
Identify the SO(3) Lie algebra with by the hat map . Its Lie bracket becomes the vector cross product, and the invariant Euclidean pairing identifies the dual with angular-momentum vectors . The coadjoint action is ordinary rotation, with infinitesimal action . Therefore its nonzero orbits are spheres ; the origin is a zero-dimensional leaf. In these coordinates,is a Casimir function of a Poisson manifold, since its gradient is parallel to . For tangent vectors to a nonzero sphere, the positive orbit form isIts area integral with the corresponding orientation is , and it reverses sign with the negative bracket.
For a torque-free rigid body, choose body angular momentum and principal moments . Reduction of by spatial rotations gives the body-frame negative Lie-Poisson bracket and HamiltonianKeeping the sign convention explicit is essential: using the positive bracket with the same body identification would reverse the Euler evolution. The negative bracket giveswith cyclic expressions for the other two components. These are the Euler equations for a torque-free rigid body. The Hamiltonian and are conserved because and . Trajectories therefore lie on intersections of energy ellipsoids with momentum spheres, the latter being the symplectic leaves.
The body's orientation is reconstructed from . Its spatial momentum is constant, since . Thus the body momentum need not be constant even though the spatial conserved momentum is. Poisson reduction retains the dynamics and its momentum leaves while eliminating orientation variables; the unreduced motion is recovered by reconstruction.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2010 iii Paper 1 5 b Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
For , we prove closure under addition using the Lie product formula in a Lie group. In the local exponential chart, let . Smooth multiplication has differential at the identity, so Taylor's theorem givesFor each fixed real and all sufficiently large positive integers ,Every term belongs to , and is closed, proving . Thus is a real vector subspace. It is also closed: if with , continuity of the Exponential map of a Lie group gives for each .
For the Lie bracket, use the Adjoint representation of a Lie group. Conjugating a one-parameter subgroup givesConsequently . For , linearity puts in . Its limit as is . Closedness of therefore gives , proving that the Lie algebra of a closed subgroup is a Lie subalgebra of .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2012 iii Paper 48 3 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-07
Use a real Lie algebra convention . Its Adjoint representation of a Lie algebra acts on itself:Linearity is immediate. The Jacobi identity givesso , the defining Lie algebra representation condition. In the basis , its matrix entries areThus the adjoint generators are the structure constants arranged as matrices. The representation has kernel equal to the center of a Lie algebra; it need not be faithful for an arbitrary algebra.
The Adjoint representation of a Lie group is . It satisfies , preserves the identity, and sends inverses to inverse matrices. Differentiating gives , soConsequently the positive adjoint exponentials furnish the representation on elements and their products, and the intrinsic conjugation action defines it globally.
The inverse-conjugation formula in the PDF needs a minus adjoint exponent with this standard definition. Its first-order term is , whereas has first-order term . For example in a nonabelian algebra with already distinguishes the two. The inverse conjugation and adjoint antirepresentations identity explains the group-order issue as well: satisfies . Retaining the printed inverse conjugation as a left action without this order reversal would not give an ordinary group representation.
The Killing form is the symmetric bilinear formTo prove degeneracy for a non-semisimple Lie algebra, take its nonzero solvable radical and the last nonzero member of its derived series of a Lie algebra. This is a nonzero abelian ideal of a Lie algebra. For , maps into and kills . Every preserves . Hence maps the full space into and has zero restriction there, so its trace is zero. Thus for every . This is the abelian ideals lie in the radical of the Killing form argument, and establishes a nonzero kernel and vanishing determinant.
For a compact real semisimple Lie algebra, the adjoint action is unitary in an invariant positive inner product. Its infinitesimal generators are skew-Hermitian, givingStrictness follows because the adjoint kernel is the zero center. This explains the compactness criterion from the Killing form: “strictly negative” means negative-definite, not that every entry of its matrix is negative.
In the first three-generator example, take columns to be images of the basis . Direct use of the brackets givesTaking traces of products yields the Killing form for cyclic three-generator bracketsIt is nondegenerate, hence semisimple by the preceding degeneracy result, but it has mixed signature and is not compact. An explicit realization iswhich span the real traceless two-by-two matrices and satisfy exactly these brackets.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2014 iii Paper 44 4 a Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
Use Hermitian generators of the special unitary group, with . An adjoint field is the Lie-algebra-valued matrix , transforming as . The adjoint covariant derivative isIn components, . With , direct substitution gives . This is covariance in the Adjoint representation of a Lie group. In the following BRST symmetry formulas, absorb the coupling into the connection, so .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2015 iii Paper 2 6 Solution 2026-10-06
A real Lie group is a finite-dimensional real smooth manifold with a group structure whose multiplication and inversion are smooth. Its tangent space at the identity element is the vector space of velocities of smooth curves through . For the general linear group it identifies with . The matrix exponential and local matrix logarithm areThe exponential is globally defined, and each matrix is invertible with inverse . The logarithm here is a local map near ; it is not a globally defined inverse on every real invertible matrix. The differential of at zero is the identity, and the two power series are inverse locally.
For a general , the assumed Exponential map of a Lie group with has a smooth local inverse by the inverse function theorem, giving a local exponential chart. Define the Lie bracket from local group commutators byFor small the group commutator lies in that chart. More explicitly, the map is smooth and has . Its mixed second differential at is a bilinear map of , proving bilinearity. Swapping the two group elements inverts the commutator, and near . Thus and . In the matrix group, expansion to the mixed term gives the familiar commutator .
For , let and define the Adjoint representation of a Lie group by . It is smooth and satisfies . Its derived representation is . Naturality of the Exponential map of a Lie group under conjugation givesAt , the derivative of the logarithm of the commutator is : the derivative of multiplication at adds tangent vectors, and . Differentiate in to concludeTo prove the Jacobi identity without assuming it in the bracket construction, first establish that the differential of a Lie group homomorphism preserves Lie brackets. For a homomorphism , the allowed exponential identity gives locally. Apply this identity to the group commutator and take the mixed derivative to obtain . In particular givesApplying both sides to yields . Rearranging with antisymmetry provesNeither injectivity of nor the existence of a global logarithm was used.
Finally let be a normal Lie subgroup of , with its corresponding Lie algebra . For each , conjugation restricts to , so its differential preserves : . Differentiate along to get for every and . Thus the Lie algebra of a normal Lie subgroup is an ideal of a Lie algebra. The assertion concerns a subgroup carrying the corresponding Lie-subgroup structure, for example any closed subgroup; no arbitrary abstract subgroup is being assigned a tangent space.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2023 iii Paper 302 1 c Solution 2026-09-28
For and ,so maps into itself. Moreover,It also sends the identity to the identity linear map, so is the Adjoint representation of a Lie group.