Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2007 iii Paper 1 3 a Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
Write for the diagonal matrix called in this question. If and , thenThus maps the fixed-vector space into . Its inverse gives the reverse map, so
For an upper-unipotent matrix , inverse conjugation changes each entry above the diagonal byEvery such factor tends to zero as . Because is compact, its finitely many coordinate functions are uniformly bounded; because it is open, it contains a neighbourhood of the identity in . Therefore this contraction is uniform on and gives for every sufficiently large . The diagonal group commutes with , soConjugating this inclusion gives for all sufficiently large . This is an eventual inclusion; arbitrary need not give a monotone sequence at every earlier step.
Consequently eventually. Admissibility makes these spaces finite-dimensional, while the isomorphism above makes their dimensions equal. HenceThis proves contraction and admissible fixed spaces by both inclusion and dimension, not by an assumption that conjugate fixed spaces are literally equal from the outset.