Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2018 iii Paper 306 3 b Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-05
The Jacobi identity for the Poisson bracket impliesFor first-class constraints with linearly independent differentials this gives , the Jacobi identity for the structure constants of the constraint algebra. Independence is an implicit assumption: for constraints obeying identities or vanishing identically, only the contracted identity follows, and arbitrary coefficients multiplying such constraints need not satisfy a Lie algebra identity.
With and , the canonical variables transform asTo fix the sign convention, vary the phase-space action directly:Thus action invariance requires . For , the Faddeev-Popov determinant is that ofUsing anticommuting Faddeev-Popov ghost fields, the invariant-convention result isThe original PDF has a sign error in the stated multiplier transformation; the TeX transcription has the consistent plus sign. Keeping the PDF's displayed minus sign mechanically would instead give . That expression exponentiates the determinant of the printed transformation, but that transformation does not preserve the stated action with the canonical convention above. It cannot be used as the invariant result without changing another convention consistently.
As for the particle, constant multiplier moduli and any residual zero mode in field theory must be handled separately; the constant gauge fixing is understood locally on the gauge orbit.