Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2001 iii Paper 4 3 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
The identification with means that is a smooth plane conic. An arbitrary singular or nonreduced conic over an algebraically closed field cannot be identified with the projective line, so this is a necessary qualification implicit in the requested description.
Choose an equation for and a degree-two equation whose restriction to defines . Its homogeneous ideal in is . These equations form a regular sequence: is a non-zero-divisor in the polynomial ring, and modulo the ring is a polynomial ring in three variables, in which the nonzero quadratic is again a non-zero-divisor. The generator classes therefore form a basis of the conormal sheaf, with their grading shifts:One can verify the absence of relations from the two-generator Koszul complex: a relation between is a multiple of , whose coefficients become zero modulo . This is the normal sheaf of a projective complete intersection calculation. Dualizing the conormal sheaf gives
These twists are restrictions from , not intrinsic degree-one twists on . A line in the plane cuts the degree-two curve in two points counted with multiplicity, so the degree of a line bundle is two. The Picard group of the projective line then givesEquivalently, the degree-two Veronese embedding pulls each linear coordinate back to a quadratic. Thus the normal bundle of a smooth plane conic isThe same splitting follows from the normal sequence for the two embeddings:Its outer terms are and . The extension group class lies in , by the preceding Čech cohomology calculation, so the sequence splits. Both methods distinguish the ambient twist from the intrinsic degree on the curve.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2002 iii Paper 13 3 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
Let . The derivative of the Abelian sum map is most naturally stated using principal parts. The tangent space of the symmetric product of a curve at is , and the tangent space of the Jacobian variety is . With these identifications,Its dual is restriction of holomorphic one-forms to the length- divisor scheme. In particular,The last equality is the Riemann-Roch theorem. These formulas apply to repeated points as well as distinct ones.
Here is a direct proof of the repeated-point Abel differential formula. At a multiplicity- point, choose a local coordinate with . A nearby local divisor is described by the roots , or, without making an ordering choice, by their elementary symmetric functions :These are smooth local coordinates on the symmetric product of a curve, including at the repeated divisor. Under a first-order deformation, minus the logarithmic variation of this defining polynomial is the principal partThe sign can be checked at : moving the point from to gives , and the Abel integral changes by .
Write and its local primitive as . The local contribution to the Abelian sum map is . Newton's identities, linearized at , giveSubstituting in the primitive therefore givesSumming over the support proves the theorem. In particular, a multiplicity- point tests the first coefficients of a holomorphic one-form, not just its value. The residue pairing between principal parts of order at most and differential jets through order is perfect. Thus the annihilator of the derivative is precisely the holomorphic one-forms vanishing to order at least at every , namely .
There is also a sheaf cohomology description that explains its kernel geometrically. The sequencegives a connecting homomorphism . Represent a principal part by meromorphic lifts on coordinate disks; their differences on overlaps give its Čech cohomology class. Under Serre duality, pairing this class with is the sum of the residues of , so is the displayed derivative. Exactness shows that its kernel is , of dimension , in agreement with the tangent directions to the complete linear system of a divisor in Solution 2.
Two consequences will be useful below. If , then has negative degree and no nonzero sections, so is a submersion everywhere. Its image is open, and it is also closed because is compact. Since the Jacobian variety is connected, is surjective. Thus the points generate the Jacobian variety as a group. Together with Abel's theorem, this identifies the degree-zero Picard group with the Jacobian variety: every line bundle has a meromorphic section and thus a divisor representation, injectivity is Abel's theorem, and surjectivity follows from .
For , one can choose distinct points imposing independent conditions on : at each step a surviving nonzero holomorphic one-form has only finitely many zeros, so choose a point where it does not vanish. Their sum has and hence . The derivative has rank there. Consequently is an irreducible subvariety of dimension . This also covers , when and are points.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2002 iii Paper 13 5 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
Identify with the Jacobian variety using the base point and the translation of Solution 4. A line bundle of degree corresponds to the point for any divisor representation . The Riemann singularity theorem isIn particular, the theta divisor is singular exactly at the degree- line bundles with at least two independent sections. We prove the equality, including the upper bound on multiplicity.
Choose a fixed effective divisor of degree , and a local holomorphic family representing nearby points of . Such a family can be constructed locally from the holomorphic exponential sequence, by varying line-bundle transition functions through exponentials of Čech cohomology representatives. By Serre duality, is dual to , whose degree is , so it vanishes. The Riemann-Roch theorem gives . By cohomology and base change for line bundles on a curve, these spaces form a holomorphic vector bundle of rank . The spaces form another holomorphic vector bundle of rank . Evaluation gives a holomorphic square matrix locally, with exact sequenceConsequently exactly when has a nonzero section, namely on the support of the theta divisor.
At the point , put , the equality being Riemann-Roch theorem. An invertible minor of size persists near this point. Holomorphic row and column operations, or the Schur complement, givewhere is an holomorphic matrix. This is the Schur complement presentation of a theta singularity. Its linear term in a tangent direction is the cup product mapTo see this concretely, vary transition functions of to . A section lifts to precisely when its first-order compatibility equation can be solved; the obstruction is the cocycle . This is . Passing to the kernel and cokernel of gives exactly the derivative of the reduced matrix , proving the assertion without assuming a multiplicity formula.
Before extracting the order of , we verify that is a reduced equation of the theta divisor. Generic points of have by Solution 3. At such a point, both and are one-dimensional. Their nonzero sections have nonzero product . Choose with under Serre duality. The scalar is nonzero, so has a simple zero generically on the irreducible theta divisor. Since its support is exactly that irreducible hypersurface, it defines the reduced divisor. Solution 4 independently proved the same reduced structure for the Riemann theta function. On the smooth ambient Jacobian variety, local equations of the same reduced divisor differ by a nonvanishing holomorphic unit. Hence the orders of the local theta equation and agree everywhere.
Every entry of vanishes at the point, so each term in its determinant has order at least . This proves . To obtain equality, we exhibit an invertible cup-product direction for a line bundle on a curve. Set and , both of dimension . There are distinct points at which evaluation is an isomorphism for : choose them inductively, since a surviving nonzero section has only finitely many zeros. The same holds for . The nonvanishing of each evaluation determinant defines a nonempty open subset of the irreducible variety . Their intersection, also avoiding the diagonals, is therefore nonempty. Choose points in it and local coordinates and compatible trivializations of and at each point.
Let be the connecting homomorphism class of the meromorphic principal parts at these points, with all . The residue form of Serre duality givesIf and are the two invertible evaluation matrices, the matrix of this pairing is , and is invertible. Thus the cup product map is an isomorphism. Along the corresponding analytic parameter line,with nonzero leading coefficient. The order is at most , completing the proof of the Riemann singularity theorem.
This argument also identifies the tangent cone to a theta divisor: its degree- equation is , which is not the zero polynomial. For , the tangent hyperplane is , in agreement with the annihilator description of the derivative of the Abelian sum map. For all first derivatives vanish, proving singularity. In genus the theta divisor is a single smooth point of multiplicity . In genus the effective degree- locus is empty, so there is no singularity statement at a point of it.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2003 iii Paper 15 4 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
Let be a separated Noetherian scheme over a field and a coherent sheaf. Coherent cohomology studies the groups : global sections in degree zero and the obstructions to gluing local sections in higher degrees. Coherence means finite generation locally, and on a Noetherian scheme it is preserved by kernels, cokernels and extensions. This makes coherent sheaves suitable for exact-sequence calculations.
For an ordered open cover , the Čech cochain groups arewith differentialEach double omission occurs twice with opposite signs, so . The Čech cohomology of the cover is , and taking the direct limit over refinements defines cover-independent Čech cohomology. In degree zero the sheaf gluing axiom identifies it with .
The comparison with derived-functor sheaf cohomology is particularly effective algebraically. Positive-degree cohomology of a quasi-coherent sheaf on an affine scheme vanishes. A separated scheme has affine intersections of affine opens, so a finite affine cover is acyclic for . Its Čech cochain complex consequently computes directly. For a short exact sequence of sheaves, sections over each affine intersection are exact on quasi-coherent sheaves. The resulting short exact sequence of Čech complexes gives the long exact sequence in sheaf cohomology. In particular, the connecting map measures the failure of a global section of the quotient to lift globally.
Several central projective results make the theory finite and computable. On a projective variety over , every coherent cohomology group is finite-dimensional. The Grothendieck vanishing theorem gives for . If is ample, Serre vanishing gives for sufficiently large , and these large twists are globally generated sheaves. On projective space a coherent sheaf has a finite twisting resolution of a coherent sheaf on projective space: finite sums of resolve it. The explicit line-bundle cohomology below and the long exact sequences prove finiteness and positive-twist vanishing. For a closed embedding , is coherent and , reducing these results to projective space. A sufficiently positive twist of a finite presentation by sums of also proves global generation.
The Euler characteristic of a coherent sheafis therefore defined, and the long exact sequence makes it additive. With a fixed projective embedding, is its Hilbert polynomial, and for sufficiently large it equals . On a smooth projective variety of dimension , Serre duality gives, for a vector bundle ,For an arbitrary coherent sheaf the correct counterpart is ; replacing this Ext group indiscriminately by the cohomology of the ordinary sheaf dual would lose local extension information.
We now calculate the basic examples. For , use the standard cover of . Sections of on an intersection are degree- Laurent monomials in which negative exponents are allowed only for coordinates inverted on that intersection. Decompose the Čech cochain complex by exponent vectors with sum . If no exponent is negative, the corresponding simplex complex contributes only in degree zero. If all exponents are negative, the monomial occurs only on the full intersection and contributes only in degree . When the negative-index set is nonempty and proper, inserting any index outside it gives a contracting homotopy, so the monomial complex is acyclic. Hence the cohomology of twisting sheaves on projective space isIn the top group a basis consists of the Laurent monomials with every exponent at most . Writing reduces the count to nonnegative solutions of , giving the displayed binomial coefficient. In particular, all intermediate cohomology vanishes, and agrees with Serre duality. For separately, every twist is trivial and .
On the projective line this givesThus positive and negative degrees produce quite different groups, while their alternating difference is a single polynomial. The twisted cubic is isomorphic to and its hyperplane bundle corresponds to . Consequently for , agreeing with Q2, and .
For a smooth plane curve of degree , the ideal-sheaf sequence of a projective hypersurface isThe long exact sequence in sheaf cohomology and the preceding formula give and . ThereforeFor this is zero; for a plane cubic it is one. Twisting the same exact sequence gives . These examples illustrate how Čech cohomology, vanishing, Serre duality and exact sequences convert local equations into global numerical invariants.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2004 iii Paper 51 4 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
Interpret triviality as holomorphic triviality. Choose a global holomorphic bundle frame for . Let have as its columns the coordinates of these sections in the prescribed local frame over , with the convention that a fiber coordinate vector transforms as . ThenEach is holomorphic and invertible because its columns form a basis in every fiber. This proves the requested holomorphic splitting of transition functions on a trivial bundle. Smooth or topological triviality alone would not justify holomorphic splitting.
For the line bundle on projective twistor space, pull its patching function back to the twistor line using the incidence convention of this problem, , without an extra factor of . Triviality on each line gives nonvanishing linewise holomorphic functions with . The factors can be chosen as holomorphic functions of locally: a degree-zero scalar transition function has zero winding on the overlap annulus, hence admits a logarithm there; splitting its positive and negative Laurent series parts gives factors whose coefficients are Cauchy integrals that are holomorphic functions of . The explicit splitting is worked out below. Their only common linewise ambiguity is multiplication by a nonzero function : the ratio is a global holomorphic function on the compact complex projective line, hence constant on that line.
Take , and raise a two-component spinor by left multiplication with . The derivative along an alpha-plane is . It annihilates the unsplit twistor function, becauseThusis holomorphic on the whole line and has projective weight one. A section of is linear in the homogeneous coordinates: in an affine coordinate, holomorphic regularity at infinity bounds its growth to at most first order, so the Cauchy integral formula excludes all higher powers. ThereforeThe inverse splitting functions obey . Commuting these two equations provesThe spinor decomposition of gauge curvature iswhere both two-component spinors are symmetric. Vanishing of the contraction for every forces . This is exactly the anti-self-dual Maxwell equations. Since the Abelian gauge curvature is , it is closed; its duality condition also makes it co-closed, giving the source-free Maxwell equations. Changing both splitting factors by changes by , the expected Abelian gauge transformation. This derives the rank-one Penrose-Ward correspondence in the needed local form.
For the exponential patching function, choose a representative of the Čech cohomology class, of homogeneous degree zero. On the overlap of the two line patches write . To compute the gauge potential explicitly, use a constant two-component spinor basis in which and the finite patch . Then , andFor a positively oriented contour in the overlap annulus, split its Laurent series asThe first is holomorphic inside the contour, the second outside including infinity; split . Since , coefficient comparison gives . Applying that operator separately to cancels all nonconstant terms and leavesThus yields and . MoreoverSubstitution gives , which in homogeneous form is preciselyThis is the Abelian Ward splitting by Laurent series. The factors have weights , respectively, so the integrand is invariant under a change of homogeneous representative. The contour avoids ; the basis chosen above places that point at infinity. One can keep the contour fixed for in a sufficiently small domain, allowing differentiation under the integral.
Finally differentiate the contour potential for an anti-self-dual Maxwell field. By the twistor incidence relation, . ConsequentlyThe second equality uses the elementary two-spinor identity in the declared convention. The remaining two-component spinor is symmetric in , and no primed symmetric gauge curvature part survives. This directly verifies is anti-self-dual. In complexified Lorentzian signature duality has Hodge star eigenvalues ; here the vanishing primed two-component spinor fixes the stated ASD convention rather than incorrectly imposing the Euclidean equation on that signature.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2004 iii Paper 80 2 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
Write the affine variety as . Its coordinate ring is Noetherian, and a coherent sheaf is for a finitely generated -module . We first justify the acyclic resolution used to compute its sheaf cohomology.
If is an injective module, then is a flasque sheaf. Indeed every open in this Noetherian scheme has the form for a finitely generated ideal. Clearing denominators givesHere a homomorphism gives, on a principal open with , the fraction ; the fractions agree on overlaps. Conversely choose fractions for a section on a finite principal-open cover. A common power clears their denominators and the finitely many compatibility relations. Multiplication by a further power of kills any elements supported on , producing a well-defined map on some . Changing that power accounts for the direct limit. This is the sheafification of an injective module is flasque construction. Since is injective, each map extends to . Thus every section on every open extends to . Extending globally and restricting again also proves surjectivity for restrictions between arbitrary opens.
Choose an injective module resolution . Localization is exact, so sheafifying gives a flasque resolution of . Its global-section complex is exactly , since . This complex is exact in positive degrees, and a flasque resolution computes sheaf cohomology. ConsequentlyThe argument actually proves vanishing of quasi-coherent cohomology on an affine scheme, without finite generation of .
For the intersection assertion, varieties are taken to be separated, as usual. The diagonal morphism is a closed immersion. Its inverse image over identifies with a closed subvariety of the affine variety . A closed subvariety of an affine variety is affine: its coordinate ring is the ambient coordinate ring modulo its defining ideal. Thus is affine. Repeated application gives affine finite intersections. Without separatedness this statement need not hold.
Choose a finite affine open cover of the projective variety . For ordered indices write . The answer is the cohomology of the Čech cochain complexIn particular and, in positive degree,The chart modules , together with their restriction and gluing maps, supply the modules on overlaps by localization. The gluing maps are essential; abstract chart modules alone do not specify a sheaf.
For completeness, take a flasque resolution and its double complex of Čech cochain complexes on this cover. In the resolution direction, its cohomology is , which vanishes for by the affine result. In the cover direction, the augmented Čech cochain complex of a flasque sheaf is exact: sections can be extended from overlaps, successively adjusting a cocycle to eliminate one cover member at a time. Equivalently the augmented sheaf complex is stalkwise contracted by inserting a cover index containing the point. Thus computing the total cohomology in the two directions identifies Čech cohomology with sheaf cohomology, proving the displayed description.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2004 iii Paper 80 5 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
We prove the required duality pairing explicitly. This also identifies the word “canonical” in the final conclusion: the isomorphism will be the intrinsic residue trace on a smooth projective curve, not a choice of basis for a one-dimensional vector space.
Begin on the projective line. With , the equation identifies its sheaf of Kähler differentials over a field with . The Laurent description in Question 3 pairs with by multiplication and extraction of the coefficient of . For the respective bases areand their pairing matrix has entriesThis is an invertible antidiagonal matrix. For both spaces vanish. The coefficient extraction is well defined on the Čech cohomology quotient: a differential regular on the first chart has no term, and one regular on the second chart is a sum of terms with , also with no such term.
To extend this calculation to every vector bundle on the projective line, we give the splitting argument. Every line bundle on is : choose a nonzero rational section to obtain a divisor, and use the divisors of to move each finite point to infinity. The denominator-clearing argument in Question 4 makes both and globally generated for large . The first assertion ensures for some integer ; the second gives an embedding , so this is impossible for . Choose the largest such integer .
A nonzero section gives . Saturating its image gives a line subbundle; if it were strictly larger, it would be for a positive integer , recording the section's zeros, contrary to maximality. Thus the quotient is a vector bundle. Induct on rank and write . Twist the sequence by . Since and , exactness forces , whence every . Local lifts of a quotient summand differ on overlaps by a Čech cocycle in . But by Question 3. Adjusting the lifts by a coboundary makes them glue, splitting the sequence. This proves the Birkhoff–Grothendieck theorem here. The direct-sum Laurent calculation consequently proves the perfect pairingAlthough a splitting proves nondegeneracy, the pairing itself uses only evaluation followed by the coefficient trace on , so does not depend on that splitting. This is residue duality on the projective line.
Now choose a rational function on with . Such a choice is available over the perfect field : a local parameter at a smooth point has nonzero differential in the rank-one sheaf of Kähler differentials over a field. Since spans the differentials of , the extension has zero relative differentials and is separable. Question 1 gives a finite generically separable morphism . It is flat: locally its finite module over a discrete valuation ring is torsion-free, hence free. For the invertible sheaf , its pushforward is therefore a vector bundle.
We next prove the differential-valued dual identification needed to transfer the pairing. At a point of the base, complete the local rings. Each branch is of the formIf is the order of , formal division writes with basis and a monic degree- equation . In particular this argument does not assume tame ramification or the special equation . For a polynomial the elementary interpolation identity isTo see it, pass to a field containing the distinct roots of . Lagrange interpolation writes the remainder as . Comparison of its leading coefficient gives the identity, and descent returns it to the original field. The top-coefficient pairing on is perfect: in the power basis its matrix has zero entries for and ones for , so its determinant is a unit. It follows that the trace-dual fractional module is exactly .
Formal division of gives with a unit. Differentiate in and evaluate at . This shows that and differ by a unit. Since , we obtainThis is the trace-dual module of a finite curve map identity. Its map sends a differential to the functional , where the trace of is . For several branches take the direct sum of these maps. Completion is faithfully flat, so their being isomorphisms proves the corresponding isomorphism of the original local modules. A local trivialization of now gives, compatibly on overlaps,
The inverse images of the two standard affine charts and their intersection are affine. As in Question 4, the Čech cochain complexes identify with . Global sections in the last display identify the other factor with . Thus the perfect pairing already calculated on the projective line givesIn particular the stated vanishing of global sections forces . The proof has established the relevant case of Serre duality, rather than invoked it as the requested argument.
To identify its intrinsic trace, use the rational principal-parts resolution on an algebraic curve. The constant sheaf of rational sections and the sheaf of their finite-support principal parts are both flasque sheaves. Consequently a class of is represented by finitely many rational principal parts , modulo the family coming from one global rational section. For a global section of , evaluation gives the pairingThe algebraic residue of a rational differential is its coefficient, independent of the local parameter. Adding a regular representative changes no residue. The local trace calculation above also givesOne can check this directly in the monogenic description: expand a differential in the basis , use the displayed interpolation formula for its trace, and extract the coefficient of . Formal division of makes that coefficient exactly the coefficient of ; for a product of branch fields the trace is the sum. Thus the identity remains valid in positive characteristic, including wild ramification. On , partial fractions show that a rational differential's residues at finite points sum to the negative of its residue at infinity. Tracing to therefore proves that the sum of residues of every global rational differential on is zero. Adding a global rational section to consequently changes the pairing by zero. This defines the same pairing as the finite-pushforward calculation, intrinsically, without a chosen map to .
Finally take . Its differential-valued dual is , and Question 4 proved . Perfectness identifies with the dual of this space. Evaluation at the distinguished constant section givesThis residue trace on a smooth projective curve uses neither a basis choice nor an auxiliary finite map. It is the canonical isomorphism.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2006 iii Paper 18 4 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
Assume is a connected compact Riemann surface of geometric genus . Work first in , translating back to the Jacobian variety by tensoring with when desired. PutThis is the image of the Abelian sum map from . The Riemann singularity theorem asserts that this image is a reduced Cartier divisor and thatHere multiplicity means the order of a local defining equation in the maximal ideal of the smooth ambient Jacobian variety. Consequently the singular points are precisely the classes with at least two independent sections. We will prove the multiplicity equality, including the nonvanishing of its proposed leading term.
Choose an effective divisor of degree , and a local holomorphic family of degree- line bundles about on , where is a small neighborhood in . Such a family is obtained by varying the Čech cocycles of a line bundle. Since for all , Serre duality gives ; the Riemann-Roch theorem gives . The cohomology and base change for line bundles on a curve then identifiesas vector bundles of rank . Evaluation defines a matrix . For each , its exact sequence isThus vanishes exactly on .
The function is not identically zero. To exhibit a degree- line bundle with no section, choose distinct points giving independent evaluation functionals on . Such points can be chosen successively because a nonzero holomorphic differential form cannot vanish everywhere. For , the Riemann-Roch theorem gives . Choose outside . The unique section of does not vanish at , so has no section. Therefore the evaluation determinant genuinely cuts out a hypersurface. Its support is irreducible, since it is the image of the irreducible symmetric product of a curve .
Fix now , and put , the equality following from the Riemann-Roch theorem. The matrix has an invertible by block. After invertible holomorphic row and column operations, its local form iswhere is by . More explicitly, eliminate the invertible block by its Schur complement; the discarded determinant is a holomorphic unit. Hence is a unit times . Every entry of lies in the maximal ideal, so its order is at least .
The linear term of is the cup-product mapTo verify this, deform the transition functions as and try to lift a section to . Its first-order gluing equation has right side , whose Čech cohomology class is exactly the obstruction to the lift. The kernel-to-cokernel derivative of the evaluation matrix gives that same obstruction. Under Serre duality, if and are bases of and , thenWe must show that this matrix is invertible for some ; otherwise the lower bound on multiplicity would not be an equality.
For each of these two -dimensional section spaces, there are distinct points with independent evaluations. Choose them successively, using a section in the remaining kernel to find the next point. The set of such -tuples is a nonempty open subset of . The two open sets intersect because is irreducible, and we may avoid their diagonals. Choose in that intersection and trivialize and there. Both matricesare invertible. Let be the sum of the evaluation functionals at these points, with any nonzero weights . Thenis invertible. It follows that the degree- polynomial is nonzero, so . This proves the needed invertible cup-product direction for a line bundle on a curve by an explicit construction.
We still need to identify this determinant hypersurface with the reduced image, rather than a multiple of it. Choose distinct points imposing independent conditions on . For their sum , the Riemann-Roch theorem gives . At its class, the calculation above gives order one. The determinant hypersurface has irreducible support, so its sole divisor on an algebraic curve coefficient is one everywhere. A local hypersurface in a smooth space with these divisor on an algebraic curve coefficients is reduced. Thus it is exactly the reduced image , and the multiplicity formula holds for that image itself.
The argument gives the useful additional descriptionFor , its nonzero linear equation is . This agrees with the derivative of the Abelian sum map: if , then is the unique holomorphic differential form vanishing along . For , the local equation has no linear term and the point is singular. When , is the single trivial line bundle in , with multiplicity one; the argument includes this case using the empty effective divisor. In genus zero there is no of effective divisors on an algebraic curve, so that hypothesis is necessary.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2007 iii Paper 23 2 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
Cover the projective line by and . On their overlap the coordinate is invertible. Choose frames of the twisting sheaf on projective space with . The vanishing of quasi-coherent cohomology on an affine scheme applies to both charts and their intersection, so the Čech cochain complexcomputes the sheaf cohomology. Its kernel identifies with , and its cokernel isFor , the intersection has basis ; for it is zero. In the quotient, powers with or disappear. The surviving basis for is ; for none survives. HenceThis is the Čech cohomology of twists on the projective line.
By the preceding question, . In the frame its degree-one Čech cohomology is one-dimensional, represented by . DefineThis is well defined: differentials regular on have nonnegative powers, and those regular on have powers at most when expressed using . Evaluation and the cup product give natural pairingsFor with , the basis element in pairs with in and with no other element of this dual Laurent basis. The pairing matrix is a permutation matrix, hence invertible. For the same computation exchanges degrees zero and one. For both sides vanish. Thus the pairings are perfect for every line bundle on .
Here we used the classification of line bundles on the projective line: they are for integers . One direct justification is that every line bundle has a nonzero rational section and hence is associated with a divisor on an algebraic curve. The finite closed point defined by an irreducible polynomial is linearly equivalent to , using the principal divisor of . Thus every divisor is equivalent to its degree times , proving the classification over arbitrary .
To extend the pairing to every locally free coherent sheaf , induct on rank, without assuming the splitting theorem of the next question. A one-dimensional subspace of the generic fibre, saturated in , gives an exact sequencewith a line bundle and a lower-rank vector bundle. This saturated line subbundle on a smooth curve exists because its stalk and its torsion-free quotient are free over the discrete valuation rings of the curve. The dual sequence, tensored with , is exact as well, since the original sequence splits locally.
The two long exact sequences in sheaf cohomology, after dualizing one, are compatible with the evaluation pairings. In Čech cohomology, this compatibility follows by lifting a section locally: the differences of its lifts represent its connecting class, and contracting those differences with a dual cocycle gives the transpose connecting map, with the usual sign. Thus the connecting maps are adjoint; changing one vertical map's sign gives a commuting diagram. Its rows areThe maps for and are isomorphisms by the line-bundle calculation and induction. Exactness then makes the maps for isomorphisms, by the Five lemma (or by comparing the relevant kernels and cokernels). All groups are finite-dimensional because the curve is projective and the sheaves coherent. Therefore residue duality on the projective line provesThese isomorphisms are natural in . Higher sheaf cohomology vanishes by the same two-chart complex.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2007 iii Paper 23 4 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
Write . A dualizing sheaf on a smooth projective curve, for the vector bundles in this question, consists of a line bundle and a trace making evaluation induce natural perfect pairingsIn particular it represents the functor through . We construct it by reducing to the proved residue duality on the projective line.
Choose a separating nonconstant rational function on . Such a choice exists over any field : the function field of a smooth algebraic curve is separably generated of transcendence degree one, and a choice with makes its finite extension of separable. The map extends across poles using in the discrete valuation ring at each point. It gives a finite generically separable morphismIndeed it is nonconstant, hence has finite fibres, and is proper; a proper quasi-finite morphism is finite. This finite map is flat: locally its direct-image module is finite and torsion-free over a discrete valuation ring, and hence free. The same argument works componentwise if needed.
For an affine chart with inverse image , form the -moduleThese modules glue to the relative trace-dual sheaf on . There are two algebraic identities used here. First, finite-map adjunction givesThe forward map evaluates at ; the inverse sends to . Second, the different–differential identity for a finite generically separable map between smooth curves givesTo explain its algebraic content, the field trace identifies with the inverse different ideal, while the different is the vanishing ideal of . These identities include wild ramification; one must not replace the different by just ramification index minus one. This is the identity allowed to be quoted in the question; the finite-map description is recorded in Stacks Project, finite morphisms, and its differential form in Stacks Project, Section 53.12.
Set . The second identity shows it is a line bundle and already identifies it with . For a vector bundle , the first identity gives the sheaf isomorphismThe sheaf is locally free: on an affine chart, the projective -module defining is a summand of , and is finite free over . Since is finite, affine-cover Čech cohomology identifies with for each of these sheaves. Apply the already established duality on to . It givesThe trace is obtained by evaluating the trace-dual module at and then using the trace . The adjunction formulas show the displayed isomorphisms are induced by evaluation against this trace and are natural in . They thus establish the requested dualizing property, not merely the existence of an invertible differential sheaf. Uniqueness follows from the Yoneda lemma applied to the representing functor on vector bundles.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2007 iii Paper 56 4 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
Let be homogeneous coordinates on the complex projective line. The complex tautological line bundle has fibre the line over that point. Its dual is the hyperplane line bundle . Define the tensor powers of the hyperplane line bundle by for , the trivial line bundle for , and the appropriate power of for .
An explicit holomorphic line bundle construction uses the two charts and with coordinates and . Choose holomorphic local frames related on the overlap byThis is consistent with the tautological frames and for . A holomorphic section of is represented by entire chart functions satisfyingExpand . Holomorphicity of at requires every power with to vanish. Thus for , is exactly a polynomial of degree at most . Conversely every such polynomial gives an entire . Its coefficients supply the explicit isomorphismEquivalently, the global holomorphic sections are the homogeneous polynomials . For , the same chart argument gives no nonzero global section.
For the first cohomology, use the sheaf of holomorphic sections of a vector bundle and its Čech cohomology on this two-chart cover. A zero-cochain is a pair of entire chart functions . A one-cochain is a function holomorphic on , multiplied by . There are no alternating two-cochains on a two-set cover, so every one-cochain is a cocycle. The coboundaries areConsequently the holomorphic Laurent-series cohomology of twists on the projective line isHere the last term means the set of functions with entire. The charts and their intersection are Stein manifolds; Cartan theorem B makes this cover acyclic for the line-bundle section sheaf, so this Čech group computes the sheaf cohomology.
Every on has a Laurent series converging normally on compact annuli. Its nonnegative-power tail is an entire function of and can be removed by a finite-chart coboundary. Its tail with can be removed by : the series is entire in , because the inner Laurent radius is zero. Assign any overlapping removable powers to just one tail. The only possible remaining powers satisfy .
If , there is no such integer, proving the requested vanishing:For completeness, if , the remaining classes have basis and dimension . None can be a coboundary, by uniqueness of Laurent coefficients. This also explains exactly why is the threshold.
Finally, a global holomorphic section of is a pair of linear homogeneous polynomials:It vanishes at a projective point precisely when the nonzero vector belongs to the kernel of the coefficient matrix . If has rank two there is no zero; if the section vanishes everywhere. Exactly one projective zero occurs precisely when the kernel is a one-dimensional line. Thus the rank-one sections of two hyperplane line bundles are characterized byEquivalently, , where is a fixed nonzero vector and is a nonzero section of . Its single simple zero is the zero of . This includes the case when one component is identically zero and the other is a nonzero linear form.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2010 iii Paper 16 5 ii Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
Put and . A homogeneous polynomial of positive degree is nonzero, and is an integral domain. Multiplication by therefore gives an exact sequence of coherent sheaveswhere is the closed immersion.
We compute the necessary cohomology of twisting sheaves on projective space. The standard three affine open subsets and all their intersections are affine schemes. For a quasi-coherent sheaf, vanishing of quasi-coherent cohomology on an affine scheme and the acyclic cover theorem identify its sheaf cohomology with the Čech cohomology of this cover. In degree , the Čech cochain complex isDecompose it into subcomplexes indexed by Laurent monomials with . Let . Such a monomial occurs in the summand for a nonempty index set precisely when , since only the variables in are inverted.
If is empty, the monomial contributes the cochain complex of a full two-simplex: its degree-zero cohomology is and its higher cohomology vanishes. If , the dimensions in degrees are ; the first map has rank one and the second map has rank one with the same kernel as the first map's image. If , there is one copy of in each of degrees and and the map between them is an isomorphism. These two cases are acyclic over every field, including characteristic two. If , only the degree-two term occurs, contributing one copy of . It follows thatand that , , and . Moreover the Laurent-monomial description of top cohomology on projective space gives a basis of consisting ofFor , subtracting one from each counts these as . For there are no such triples, and the formula is also zero.
Use the long exact sequence in sheaf cohomology of the initial sequence, and cohomology under a closed immersion to identify the terms for . The vanishings just proved giveThereforeThis proves the cohomology of a projective plane hypersurface without imposing smoothness, irreducibility or reducedness. In particular, the second number is an arithmetic genus, not a claim about the genus of a normalization.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2013 iii Paper 13 4 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-07
The intersection hypothesis says that is a semi-separated scheme. For an affine open subscheme , the intersection is affine. Restricting the given short exact sequence of sheaves to it and applying the affine module-sheaf equivalence gives an exact sequence of global sections:These are exactly the sections on of the three direct image sheaves. Affine opens form a basis, and every section of the last sheaf on such a basis open lifts to the middle sheaf. This proves surjectivity as a sheaf morphism; left exactness of direct image supplies the other positions. Hence direct image preserves this short exact sequence. The crucial ingredient is exactness of sections of quasi-coherent sheaves on an affine intersection; arbitrary open immersions need not have this property.
For the cohomology comparison, every nonempty finite intersectionis affine. This follows by mathematical induction, intersecting the affine intersection already obtained with the next affine open. The restriction of to it is quasi-coherent, so vanishing of quasi-coherent cohomology on an affine scheme givesWe now prove why this local vanishing gives the acyclic cover theorem, rather than identifying the two sorts of cohomology without a comparison.
Take a flasque resolution . Here a flabby sheaf has surjective restriction maps; its restrictions to open subsets are still flabby and have zero higher sheaf cohomology. Form the double complexThe horizontal differential is the alternating restriction map ; the vertical one is induced by the resolution. They commute, so the total differential in bidegree is and has square zero. The Čech resolution on a semi-separated scheme uses precisely these intersections.
A flabby sheaf has zero positive Čech cohomology for a finite open cover, and its degree-zero Čech cohomology is its global sections. One way to establish this auxiliary fact is to use the exact augmented two-open complexExactness at the first two terms is the sheaf gluing axiom; the last map is onto because a section on the intersection extends to . For the induction step, write for the union of all but the last open and for the last open. Separate Čech cochains according to whether their index list contains the last index. The resulting two-block complex compares the smaller cover of with its restricted cover of , together with in degree zero. By induction those two smaller cover complexes have cohomology only in degree zero, where they give and . The displayed two-open exact sequence then gives zero positive-degree cohomology for the full cover. This proves the auxiliary fact by induction on the number of opens. Thus horizontal cohomology of consists only of in degree zero. Computing the cohomology of the total complex first horizontally therefore gives , by the resolution principle for sheaf cohomology.
On the other hand, vertical cohomology issince the restricted flasque resolutions compute cohomology on each intersection. The already established affine vanishing makes all rows with zero. The surviving row is exactly the Čech cochain complex . Computing total cohomology first vertically therefore gives . These two computations are justified by the two filtrations of the first-quadrant double complex: in every total degree only finitely many terms occur, and the cover also bounds the horizontal degree. Their edge maps give the natural identificationFor negative degrees both groups are zero by convention. In particular, degree zero is the usual identification by the sheaf gluing axiom, not merely a comparison of dimensions.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2014 iii Paper 13 4 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
Order the index set of the open cover . The Čech cochain groups areand their differential is the alternating sum of restrictions:Terms obtained by deleting two indices cancel in pairs, so . The Čech cohomology is , with zero incoming differential in degree zero. Its zeroth group is the group of global sections by sheaf gluing.
The acyclic cover theorem applies if every nonempty finite intersection is acyclic for . For a quasi-coherent sheaf on a variety it is sufficient that every such intersection is affine; on a separated variety, any affine open cover has this property. On , take the standard charts . Every intersection is a principal open in an affine chart, hence affine. The Čech complex has no terms above degree , provingThis is the cohomological dimension bound from an affine cover and requires only quasi-coherence, not finite generation.
For the remaining projective calculations assume . There is a necessary zero-dimensional exception to the negative-twist assertion: is a point, every twist is trivial there, and even for .
Put with its usual grading. The twisting sheaf on projective space is the sheaf associated with the shifted graded module ; on an intersection its sections areOn a generator is , with transition . These are regular units on overlaps and satisfy the cocycle relation, so they glue an invertible sheaf for every integer , including negative .
A global section is a compatible family of these homogeneous fractions, hence a single element of degree in . For , and are relatively prime in the unique factorization domain , so ; therefore the full intersection is . It follows thatFor its dimension is . The proof uses all-chart compatibility; regularity on one chart alone would permit poles on its complement.
If some , the ideal contains , so the requested containment is immediate. Otherwise every . A monomial of degree must have for some : if not, its total degree would be at most . Thus every degree- monomial, and hence every homogeneous polynomial of that degree, belongs to . This is monomial containment in an ideal of coordinate powers.
For , a top-degree Čech cochain for is a degree-zero Laurent polynomial on the full intersection. Write it with a common denominator asThe containment just proved gives , with homogeneous of degree . ConsequentlyThe th term is regular on the intersection omitting , and has degree zero. Give it the sign in that component of the preceding Čech cochain. Its coboundary is the original fraction. Every top cochain is thus a coboundary, andThis is top Čech cohomology from missing-denominator monomials.
To obtain the negative-twist bound by induction on dimension, let be a hyperplane, with inclusion . Its equation gives the hyperplane exact sequence for twisting sheavesThe associated long exact sequence in sheaf cohomology and sheaf cohomology under a closed inclusion giveFor , restriction is the surjection . Exactness and the already proved give . The displayed surjections then give the same vanishing for every . This handles the point hyperplane without making a false negative-twist claim on .
For , the induction hypothesis in dimension gives whenever . Therefore consecutive top-degree groups are isomorphic for . Starting with and stepping down through reaches . Stepping upward proves all positive twists too. We concludeThis is top-twist vanishing by hyperplane induction.
Finally, on write and . On , let be the wedge of for , taken in increasing index order. For , differentiating and givesIn the wedge, all terms involving a second copy of disappear; the surviving powers are from and from the other differentials. Moving into its original position produces the stated sign. Rescale each local generator by . Then on every overlap, exactly the transition of the twist with . This canonical-form transition on projective space proves the canonical bundle of projective space:For line bundles the Serre duality pairing becomesIn particular is dual to , which is zero for , precisely the independently obtained bound. The case recovers , and matches . Thus the calculated transition functions, global sections and top-degree vanishing agree with Serre duality.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2014 iii Paper 17 1 a Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
Let be the space of smooth complex differential forms of type . The Dolbeault operator satisfies , and the Dolbeault cohomology isFor the denominator is zero; forms outside the dimension range are zero.
A sequence of sheaves is an exact sequence of sheaves precisely when its sequence of stalks at every point is exact. Here this means the first map is injective on stalks, the last is surjective on stalks, and the image equals the kernel at the middle stalk. In particular, a section of the last sheaf need only have local lifts; surjectivity on all global sections is not required.
The associated long exact sequence in sheaf cohomology of Čech cohomology, understood in the direct limit over open covers, isThe degree-zero groups are global sections. The connecting map is obtained by locally lifting a Čech cocycle to the middle sheaf and taking its Čech coboundary, which takes values in the first sheaf. Different lifts change it by a Čech coboundary.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2014 iii Paper 17 1 c Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
Cover the product by and , with on their intersection . The permitted vanishing and the Dolbeault theorem make this an acyclic cover for both and . The acyclic cover theorem lets its two-term Čech complex compute the cohomology. In particular, all groups with vanish.
For , a global holomorphic function is constant on each compact complex projective line fibre, by the maximum modulus principle. Its remaining dependence on is entire. Hence . For the first Čech group, a function on the intersection has a Laurent seriesEach coefficient is entire in by its Cauchy integral formula. The nonnegative powers extend to , and the negative powers extend to in coordinate . These two series converge locally uniformly with the parameter , by the usual Laurent estimates on compact parameter sets. Thus every intersection function is a Čech coboundary and .
For , write a two-form on the intersection as . The other chart hasForms extending from have coefficient powers ; those extending from have powers . A globally defined two-form would need to have both types of expansion, so it is zero. In the first Čech quotient, precisely the term remains, and its coefficient is an arbitrary entire function of . ConsequentlyThe second nonzero group is represented in Čech cohomology by . This explicit residue description is the Dolbeault cohomology of the projective line times the affine line; it also identifies that group naturally with the holomorphic one-forms on the affine factor.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2015 iii Paper 16 3 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
For , the Čech cochain complex has groupsTerms in cancel in pairs, and Čech cohomology is . A degree-zero cocycle is exactly a family of compatible local sections. The sheaf gluing axiom gives their unique global section, proving . If the cover has affine finite intersections, a quasi-coherent sheaf has no higher cohomology on those intersections by vanishing of quasi-coherent cohomology on an affine scheme. The acyclic cover theorem then identifies all Čech groups with sheaf cohomology. In particular, a finite affine open cover of a separated variety has this property.
For the sheaf of units of the structure sheaf, a multiplicative degree-one cocycle is a family satisfying , with . It glues trivial rank-one free modules into an invertible sheaf. Changing the local frames multiplies by a coboundary, and two sets of transition data give isomorphic line bundles precisely when their cocycles differ this way. Tensoring line bundles multiplies their cocycles. Thus line bundles trivialized by an open cover give the group isomorphismFor the remaining arguments, work over the algebraically closed ground field. On the irreducible variety , put , a quotient of sheaves of abelian groups. A global section of is locally represented by rational functions whose ratios are regular units. The corresponding unit cocycle defines an invertible sheaf. A single global rational function has trivial cocycle. Conversely, every line bundle has a nonzero rational section: choose a nonzero vector in its one-dimensional fibre at the generic point and express it in local frames. This supplies such local . If the associated line bundle is trivial, changing frames makes all restrictions of one rational function. Thereforeis exact. This is the Cartier-divisor description of the Picard group. The sheaf of nonzero rational functions on an irreducible variety is flasque, since all restrictions between nonempty open sets are the identity on . Apply the long exact sequence in sheaf cohomology to . Since , its connecting map has exactly the cokernel just computed, provingFinally the Segre description of a smooth quadric surface identifies with . The two rulings of a smooth quadric surface have classes generating . For completeness, remove one line in each ruling: the remaining chart is the affine plane, with factorial coordinate ring and trivial divisor class group. The localization sequence for the divisor class group makes generators, and their degrees on the two ruling lines prove independence. The hyperplane class, and hence the conic , has bidegree . By Picard-group localization on a smooth variety, the Picard group of a smooth affine quadric surface isExplicitly, the restriction of is nontrivial: if it were trivial on , its rational trivialization would have divisor supported on , forcing to be an integer multiple of , which is impossible.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2015 iii Paper 18 3 a Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
Order the index set of the open cover . For the sheaf of abelian groups , the Čech cochain group isIt is a product, not a finite-support sum. The Čech coboundary isEvery term in occurs twice with opposite signs, so . The Čech cohomology of the cover is . Refinements induce maps on these groups; different choices of refinement indices give maps related by a cochain homotopy, hence the same map on cohomology. Taking the direct limit over covers givesOne may use locally finite covers, since a complex manifold is a paracompact space and these covers are cofinal. In degree zero this recovers the group of global sections by the sheaf gluing axiom.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2015 iii Paper 18 3 b Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
The printed assertion for every cohomological degree is false. The valid conclusion supplied by the stated Hartogs extension theorem is the degree-zero isomorphism. Indeed, around each removed point choose a small coordinate ball on which the holomorphic vector bundle is trivial. A holomorphic section on the punctured ball has finitely many holomorphic coefficient functions, each of which extends by Hartogs extension theorem when the complex dimension is at least two. Uniqueness of holomorphic extension makes these local extensions agree with the original section on overlaps, givingThis also identifies the direct image sheaf with for the inclusion . It does not identify higher sheaf cohomology.
Here is an explicit higher-degree obstruction. Take , remove , and take the trivial line bundle. Cover by and . On use coordinates , ; on use , . Both charts are , and the overlap is . For every integer , the holomorphic functiondefines a Čech cocycle. It cannot be a Čech coboundary with entire on their charts. Taking the coefficient of , the term from has only nonnegative powers of , whereas the term from has the form and only powers at most . Neither can provide the coefficient . Uniqueness of Laurent series proves the contradiction. The same argument applied to each fibre degree proves that all the classes , , are linearly independent.
These classes remain nonzero in Čech cohomology of , rather than merely of this cover. The low-degree Mayer-Vietoris sequence for sheaf cohomology injects the quotient of overlap sections by the two chart-section groups into . Concretely, a partition of unity gives smooth with ; their common Dolbeault operator defines a global -form. If that form were -exact, subtracting its global smooth primitive would make holomorphic and split . The nonsplitting just proved therefore gives the same obstruction in Dolbeault cohomology, and the Dolbeault theorem identifies it with sheaf cohomology. Thus is infinite dimensional. In contrast, is finite dimensional by compact Dolbeault Hodge decomposition for the Fubini-Study form. Hence the two degree-one groups cannot be isomorphic, disproving the printed all-degree request already in complex dimension two.
In complex dimension one, even the degree-zero conclusion fails. Take , remove its point at infinity and use the trivial line bundle. Holomorphic functions on compact connected are constant by the maximum modulus principle, whereas has nonconstant entire functions such as . Therefore the restriction map is not onto even in degree zero.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2016 iii Paper 118 4 a Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
For the usual additive Čech cohomology groups, is understood to be a sheaf of abelian groups. Order the index set of the open cover . The Čech cochain group isAn empty intersection contributes the zero group. The Čech coboundary is the alternating sum of restriction maps:Every double omission appears twice with opposite sign, so . The Čech cohomology is the cohomology of this cochain complex:Here . The sheaf gluing axiom identifies with . This definition is for the fixed cover; no limit over refinements is part of the group requested here. Without the abelian-group structure, this additive Čech cochain complex is not defined.