Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2015 iii Paper 2 6 Solution 2026-10-06
A real Lie group is a finite-dimensional real smooth manifold with a group structure whose multiplication and inversion are smooth. Its tangent space at the identity element is the vector space of velocities of smooth curves through . For the general linear group it identifies with . The matrix exponential and local matrix logarithm areThe exponential is globally defined, and each matrix is invertible with inverse . The logarithm here is a local map near ; it is not a globally defined inverse on every real invertible matrix. The differential of at zero is the identity, and the two power series are inverse locally.
For a general , the assumed Exponential map of a Lie group with has a smooth local inverse by the inverse function theorem, giving a local exponential chart. Define the Lie bracket from local group commutators byFor small the group commutator lies in that chart. More explicitly, the map is smooth and has . Its mixed second differential at is a bilinear map of , proving bilinearity. Swapping the two group elements inverts the commutator, and near . Thus and . In the matrix group, expansion to the mixed term gives the familiar commutator .
For , let and define the Adjoint representation of a Lie group by . It is smooth and satisfies . Its derived representation is . Naturality of the Exponential map of a Lie group under conjugation givesAt , the derivative of the logarithm of the commutator is : the derivative of multiplication at adds tangent vectors, and . Differentiate in to concludeTo prove the Jacobi identity without assuming it in the bracket construction, first establish that the differential of a Lie group homomorphism preserves Lie brackets. For a homomorphism , the allowed exponential identity gives locally. Apply this identity to the group commutator and take the mixed derivative to obtain . In particular givesApplying both sides to yields . Rearranging with antisymmetry provesNeither injectivity of nor the existence of a global logarithm was used.
Finally let be a normal Lie subgroup of , with its corresponding Lie algebra . For each , conjugation restricts to , so its differential preserves : . Differentiate along to get for every and . Thus the Lie algebra of a normal Lie subgroup is an ideal of a Lie algebra. The assertion concerns a subgroup carrying the corresponding Lie-subgroup structure, for example any closed subgroup; no arbitrary abstract subgroup is being assigned a tangent space.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2019 ii Paper 4 19I c iii Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-03
Because the bilinear form from part (ii) is invariant, . The mapis continuous. Since is connected and , it is identically one. Hence
To find the kernel, suppose commutes with every traceless skew-Hermitian matrix. Commutation withforces to be diagonal. Commutation withthen forces its two diagonal entries to agree. Thus . Since ,and therefore
It remains to prove surjectivity. The derived representation at the identity isIf this vanishes for every in the SU(2) Lie algebra, the same commutant calculation makes scalar; tracelessness then gives . Thus is injective. Its domain and codomain are both three-dimensional real Lie algebras, so it is an isomorphismThe inverse function theorem now shows that the image of contains a neighbourhood of the identity in . Therefore the image is an open subgroup. The special orthogonal group is connected, since every rotation can be deformed continuously to the identity by reducing its rotation angle. A connected topological group has no proper open subgroup, soTogether with the kernel calculation, this is the Adjoint double cover from SU(2) to SO(3).
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2023 iii Paper 302 1 d Solution Created 2026-09-28 Updated 2026-10-03
For a smooth Lie-group representation , define its derived representationDifferentiation makes linear. Applying to the group commutator curveand taking the mixed derivative at givesThus is a Lie algebra representation.