Angular Jacobian of a rational map 2026-10-05
For a nonconstant rational map between round unit Riemann spheres, . Counting inverse images with multiplicity gives . The Jacobian determinant vanishes at ramification points of a holomorphic map, but the integral still records the global degree of a holomorphic map.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2005 ii Paper 4 23H Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-24
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2018 ii Paper 3 23F Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-03
For a nonconstant holomorphic map between compact connected Riemann surfaces, its degree iswhere is the ramification index of a holomorphic map at . The valency theorem makes this sum independent of . The Riemann-Hurwitz formula is
Write . The map is well-defined and biholomorphic, with . Its fixed points satisfyThey are therefore indexed by , so there are four, as in the negation map on a one-dimensional complex torus.
For each choose a small open disc for which . The projection restricts to a homeomorphismUse followed by a holomorphic coordinate on as a chart on . Choosing instead changes this coordinate by the holomorphic map induced by , so the transition functions are holomorphic. These charts make a Riemann surface and a holomorphic double covering map.
At each omitted fixed point, a centred local coordinate changes by , so the invariant quotient coordinate is . Hence the extension has degree two and exactly four ramification points, each with . Since the complex torus has genus one, Riemann--Hurwitz givesThus , in agreement with the general quotient of a one-dimensional complex torus by negation.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2018 ii Paper 4 24I Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-03
Let denote a hyperplane-section divisor of a projective plane curve. The Adjunction formula for a smooth degree- projective plane curve statesSince , this gives the canonical degree of a smooth plane curveCombining this with gives the genus of a smooth plane curve
Homogenization of the affine equation gives the projective completionThis is the plane model y plus x cubed plus xy cubed equals zero of the Klein quartic: after the coordinate relabelling , its equation is .
Its first partial derivatives areIf one of vanishes at a common zero of these three derivatives, the displayed equations successively force all three coordinates to vanish, which is impossible in projective space. If , multiplying the three derivative equations givesagain a contradiction. The Jacobian criterion therefore proves that is smooth.
The rational function defines a rational map of projective varieties . Because is a smooth projective curve, it extends uniquely to a morphismFor a generic finite value of , its fibre is given by the cubicso the degree of a holomorphic map is . The discriminant of a depressed cubic is
At the fibre consists of . Since , the holomorphic implicit function theorem givesso is a local coordinate and has ramification index of a holomorphic map there. Each of the seven distinct roots of gives one double, but not triple, root of the cubic in , hence seven further ramification points of index .
It remains to inspect the points at infinity. They areNear , set and . The equation becomes , so , while has a simple pole. Thus . Near , set and . Now , so andThus has a double pole at and . These calculations are the ramification of the x-coordinate on the Klein quartic after the coordinate relabelling above.
The total ramification contribution isThe Riemann-Hurwitz formula for the degree-three map to the projective line now givesand therefore
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2023 iii Paper 118 2 Solution 2026-09-28
An irreducible complex analytic hypersurface in a complex manifold is a closed irreducible analytic subset of pure complex codimension one. A local defining function of a complex analytic hypersurface at is a holomorphic function on a neighbourhood such thatThe necessary local algebra is that the stalk is a regular local ring, hence a unique factorization domain, and that the local branches of a hypersurface germ determine finitely many height-one prime ideals. Each is principal; the product of their generators gives , and removing repeated factors makes it reduced. This also covers a globally irreducible hypersurface that has several local branches at a singular point.
A divisor on a complex manifold is a locally finite formal sum of irreducible analytic hypersurfaces with integer coefficients. On a sufficiently small , local defining functions give a meromorphic equation for . The quotients are nowhere-zero holomorphic functions. Gluing frames byproduces the holomorphic line bundle associated to a divisor , and gives its canonical meromorphic section with divisor .
The Euler sequence on complex projective spaceimplies . Taking the dual determinant yields the canonical bundle of complex projective spacewhere is a hyperplane divisor.
The hypotheses on the homogeneous polynomial say thatis a smooth projective hypersurface of degree , so its divisor line bundle is . The Adjunction formula givesThis is the canonical bundle of a smooth projective hypersurface.
Now fix an isomorphism and regard and as holomorphic sections of the same holomorphic line bundle. They have no common zero because . Their homogeneous coordinates therefore define a well-defined holomorphic mapIn a local frame, the quotientis a meromorphic function with divisor . Thus and , both with multiplicity one. The degree of a holomorphic map is therefore one. A nonconstant degree-one holomorphic map between compact connected Riemann surfaces is a biholomorphism, so the displayed map is biholomorphic.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2023 ii Paper 2 24F Solution Created 2026-09-23 Updated 2026-09-25
If is a nonconstant holomorphic map between compact connected Riemann surfaces, its local degree at is the integer for which suitable local coordinates giveThe valency theorem states thatis independent of . This common value is the degree of a holomorphic map, denoted .
Now let be a nonconstant rational function of degree . If its distinct finite poles have orders , and its pole order at infinity is , thenThe derivative has a pole of order at each finite pole. When , the expansion shows that at infinity. Hence the degree of the derivative of a rational function isIn the first case , while in the second ; thereforeFor every , the lower bound is attained by , whose derivative has degree (with a constant assigned degree zero). For distinct , the functionhas simple poles, degree , and a derivative with double poles, so . Thus both rational bounds are sharp for every .
Let next be a nonconstant elliptic function for the period lattice . Its degree is the total order of its poles in a fundamental parallelogram; by the valency theorem, this is also the degree of the induced map . If these poles have orders , then , and has poles of orders . The degree of the derivative of an elliptic function is consequentlySince every nonconstant elliptic function has at least one pole and ,
Let be odd. The Weierstrass elliptic function supplies the lower-bound exampleIt has one pole modulo , of order , so its derivative has one pole of order . For the upper bound, choose distinct points modulo and nonzero constants with . The quasi-periodicity of the Weierstrass zeta function makeselliptic. It has exactly simple poles, while has double poles. Therefore the two bounds are attained for every required odd degree.