Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2005 iii Paper 6 3 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
Use a nonzero complex unital Banach algebra with submultiplicative norm, and write its unit as . The complex scalar field is the usual convention in this spectral statement; for a real algebra one uses its complexification. We derive the needed analytic facts from norm-convergent series and scalar complex analysis.
If , completeness makes the Neumann series converge. Multiplying its finite partial sums by gives , which tends to . Hence its sum is the inverse of . If is invertible, then is invertible whenever . This proves that the invertible elements form an open set and that inversion is locally norm-continuous.
Define the Banach algebra spectrum and the resolvent of an element byFor , the Neumann series givesThus is bounded by and is closed, because invertibility is open. Also in norm at infinity; for example its norm is at most , since in a nonzero submultiplicative unital algebra. The standard normalization is not needed.
For points where the Banach algebra resolvent exists , multiply out the inverses to get the resolvent identityFor outside the Banach algebra spectrum, put . Locally,This series and its differentiated series converge uniformly on every smaller disk. It therefore proves is a Banach-space-valued holomorphic function, establishing complex differentiability in the Banach-space norm and gives , without assuming a Banach-algebra-valued analytic theorem. In particular every continuous complex linear functional makes a scalar holomorphic function.
The Banach algebra spectrum is nonempty. Otherwise would be defined and analytic everywhere. Its local norm continuity and decay at infinity make it globally bounded. For every continuous linear functional , the scalar entire function is bounded and tends to zero at infinity, so it is identically zero: the scalar Cauchy estimate for its derivative on circles of radius is , which tends to zero, and the limiting value then fixes its constant as zero. Such functionals separate points by the Hahn-Banach theorem. Explicitly a bounded real functional can be extended from the real span of any nonzero element using its norm, and complexifying it by gives a bounded complex linear functional nonzero on that element. Therefore itself would be zero, contradicting . We have proved the Banach algebra spectrum is a nonempty compact subset of the complex plane.
We next establish the spectral radius formula. The power norms are submultiplicative. If some , their root norms are eventually zero. Otherwise, for any fixed , write with to obtainTaking roots gives . Taking the infimum in , and using that every root norm is at least that infimum, proves existence ofFor , the root test makes converge, even when . The same telescoping multiplication proves it is a two-sided inverse. HenceFor the reverse bound fix . If , integrate the uniformly convergent exterior series term by term on , obtainingThe same integral equals the one on : applying an arbitrary continuous linear functional reduces contour deformation through the Banach algebra spectrum-free annulus to the scalar Cauchy theorem, and separation of points restores equality in . This proves the resolvent Cauchy coefficient formula rather than assuming vector-valued analytic calculus. Using the norm bound for the allowed vector integral givesTaking th roots yields , and letting finishes the proof:
For the first example take the commutative algebra of dual numbers with norm . Completeness follows from finite dimension, and the product estimate makes the norm submultiplicative. For , but , so . Directly, has inverse for , and its Banach algebra spectrum is . For the second example take with its absolute-value norm and . Its Banach algebra spectrum is , giving .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2005 iii Paper 7 2 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
Write and equip with the compact-open topology. All algebra homomorphisms here are complex linear. Choose a finite positively oriented boundary cycle in with winding number one on a neighborhood of and zero outside . Such a cycle can be obtained as the boundary of a finite union of sufficiently small squares whose interior contains and whose closure is contained in ; holes are included with negative boundary orientation. Define the holomorphic functional calculus by the norm-convergent contour integralThe resolvent identity proves that is a Banach-space-valued holomorphic function off . The Cauchy integral theorem, applied after each bounded linear functional, makes the integral independent of the chosen boundary cycle. The Hahn-Banach theorem then gives equality of the algebra-valued integrals. Moreover,which proves complex linearity and continuity for the compact-open topology.
For the constant function and the coordinate function , the contour can be deformed to a large circle because their integrands are holomorphic everywhere outside . There the Neumann series gives . Integrating term by term showsTo prove multiplicativity, take nested cycles around , with the outer cycle winding once on the inner cycle and the inner winding zero on the outer cycle. Use the outer cycle for and the inner for . The resolvent identity readsIn the resulting double integral, the term containing gives after the integral, by the Cauchy integral formula. The term containing vanishes after the integral, because is holomorphic on and inside the inner cycle's region. ThereforeThe integrals are over finite compact curves and have continuous integrands, so exchanging their order is legitimate. This proves the existence of the required continuous unital algebra homomorphism.
For uniqueness, the Runge approximation theorem gives density in , for the compact-open topology, of rational functions with poles outside . More explicitly, exhaust by compact sets that are holomorphically convex relative to , and approximate on those sets by rational functions whose poles lie in the complement of ; this gives convergence on every compact subset. Any unital algebra homomorphism taking to must take , for , to , since it preserves inverse equations. Partial fractions and polynomial algebra therefore fix its value on every such rational function. Continuity fixes its value on their limits. Thus the continuous unital homomorphism with the prescribed coordinate value is unique. Restricting a function to a smaller neighborhood of gives the same value, either by the contour definition or this uniqueness argument.
To prove the holomorphic spectral mapping theorem, first let . There is an open neighborhood of on which has no zeros. The holomorphic function on supplies a two-sided inverse throughThus . Conversely, if and , the divided differenceis holomorphic on , and multiplicativity givesThe two factors commute. A commuting product can be invertible only if both factors are invertible: its inverse commutes with each factor, and is a two-sided inverse for . Invertibility of the displayed product would therefore contradict . This proves
For the root, let and , using the principal complex logarithm. Define . Since , multiplicativity and the holomorphic spectral mapping theorem giveThis is the principal cube root of a Banach-algebra element.
For uniqueness, suppose and . Cubing maps the whole open sector into , sois a continuous unital algebra homomorphism: pullback by cubing is continuous for the compact-open topology, since images of compact sets are compact. It takes the coordinate function to , and uniqueness already proved gives . For , the scalar principal cube root satisfies , because . HenceThis proves uniqueness with the stated spectral sector, without assuming the ambient Banach algebra is commutative or that algebra characters separate its elements.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2005 iii Paper 7 4 ii Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
For , putThe bound makes finite. Each is continuous; submultiplicativity gives , and the spectral radius formula gives . Spectral radius need not be continuous, so applying the Dini theorem directly to would not be justified. Instead define, on the compact boundary,These are continuous, decrease pointwise to the continuous constant , and therefore converge uniformly by the Dini theorem. In particular,Multiplication is a continuous bilinear operation in a Banach algebra, so the product rule shows that is a Banach-space-valued holomorphic function. Part (i), applied to this power, givesTaking the limit on the left and the limit superior on the right proves the spectral-radius maximum principle:
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2005 iii Paper 7 4 Solution 2026-10-14
Apply the spectral-radius maximum principle to the entire Banach-space-valued holomorphic function on the closed disk . On its boundary the assumed estimate gives . Thereforefor every . Letting provesThe puncture at in the hypothesis causes no difficulty: the bound is used only on the nonzero boundary circle.