Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2008 iii Paper 56 2 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
Use the Clifford algebra and unit-weight antisymmetrization. The duality identity between and three antisymmetrized gamma matrices turns the equation intoThe overall nonzero factor in this identity depends on the orientation and convention and does not change its solutions. This Rarita-Schwinger field equation has the gauge symmetrysince . It is the free-field limit of local supersymmetry, so it is suitable for the gravitino.
To check which spin it propagates, put and . Expanding the three gamma matrices using the Clifford algebra givesin four dimensions. Thus the Euler-Lagrange field equation requires . Under the gauge transformation, ; locally one may choose gamma-trace gauge fixing, , by solving . The Euler-Lagrange field equation then yieldsThese are the massless Dirac equation, transversality and gamma-trace constraints that remove the lower-spin part of a vector-spinor.
For a more explicit massless Rarita-Schwinger polarization count, take a positive-frequency plane wave with null momentum along the third axis, in signature . Transversality relates its temporal and longitudinal components. Residual gauge transformations with remove both. Write the surviving components as ; their gamma-trace condition reads , henceThe massless Dirac equation leaves two complex positive-frequency amplitudes in . If , , then is proportional to in the transverse vector index. With spatial rotation generators and , the vector has helicity and the Majorana spinor has helicity , giving total helicity . The Majorana spinor condition fixes the negative-frequency coefficients from these amplitudes. Therefore a massless gravitino has spin , with the two physical helicities . A complex vector-spinor would also have independent antiparticle modes.
The requested count is instead the off-shell component count of minimal supergravity, before imposing any Euler-Lagrange field equations. A four-dimensional Majorana spinor has four real components. Its vector index supplies four copies, and local supersymmetry supplies four real gauge functions:One must not additionally subtract transversality and the massless Dirac equation in this count: those are on shell conditions. The gamma-trace gauge fixing already uses the same four gauge functions subtracted above. For the graviton, a symmetric metric tensor has ten real components, with four diffeomorphism gauge functions. Equivalently, a vierbein has sixteen real components, minus six local Lorentz transformation and four diffeomorphism functions:The gravitino and graviton each have two propagating states on shell, but their off-shell counts disagree by six.
An auxiliary field has an algebraic Euler-Lagrange field equation and no propagating kinetic term. In old-minimal supergravity, a complex scalar contributes two real bosonic components and a real vector contributes four, so the bosonic count becomes , matching the gravitino. Their supersymmetry transformations also absorb the terms that would otherwise require the propagating Euler-Lagrange field equations to close the local algebra. Thus auxiliary fields allow off-shell supersymmetry closure and matching component counts without adding physical particles. Eliminating them recovers an on shell formulation.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2008 iii Paper 65 2 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
For a Lie group , Left translation on a Lie group and right translation on a Lie group are the diffeomorphisms and . Their differentials identify the tangent space at the identity with every tangent space. Translating a basis of the Lie algebra gives global left-invariant vector fields and right-invariant vector fields . Left and right translations commute. If , thenThe opposite sign for the right-invariant frame is essential.
Define an affine connection by declaring the parallel. Explicitly, . Its curvature form of a connection vanishes, since successive derivatives of the component functions satisfy the vector-field commutator identity. Its torsion tensor isSimilarly, declaring the parallel gives another flat affine connection , with . In a left-invariant frame the latter connection obeysTo see this, express . Along , differentiation of gives , producing the displayed bracket. Consequently for left-invariant . These are the flat translation connections on a Lie group. They have opposite torsion; if is Abelian, both torsion tensors vanish and the two connections coincide. The phrase “with torsion” does not mean nonzero torsion for Abelian groups.
The average is again an affine connection and satisfies for left-invariant fields. Its torsion tensor is zero. With the curvature convention , the Jacobi identity givesDefine the Ricci tensor by . Since , this giveswhere is the Killing form. Thus the canonical torsion-free connection on a Lie group is generally curved. Its exact flatness criterion is : Abelian and two-step nilpotent groups are exceptions. A vanishing Ricci tensor alone does not prove flatness.
For a semisimple Lie algebra, the Killing form is nondegenerate. Its adjoint invariance gives , so translating it defines a bi-invariant pseudo-Riemannian metric . For left-invariant fields,A metric-compatible torsion-free connection is uniquely the Levi-Civita connection; therefore is its Levi-Civita connection. Moreover,The special feature is a canonical nondegenerate metric and an Einstein manifold structure. The metric need not be positive definite: noncompact semisimple groups generally require indefinite signature. For compact semisimple groups, using gives a bi-invariant Riemannian metric with instead.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2009 iii Paper 17 1 a Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
Work with real vector bundles; for complex bundles replace the inner products below by positive-definite Hermitian forms. A smooth rank- vector bundle is a smooth total space with a smooth projection , a real vector space structure on each fiber , and an open cover with vector bundle trivializationsEach is a diffeomorphism over and is linear on fibers. The overlap maps have the form , where is smooth. The rank of a vector bundle may be specified separately on each connected component.
A smooth fiber metric is a positive-definite symmetric bilinear form on each fiber, with smoothly varying coefficients in every local frame. Equivalently it is a smooth section of which is positive definite at every point. Each trivialization supplies a local fiber metric by pulling back the Euclidean inner product.
A smooth manifold is Hausdorff and second-countable, hence paracompact. Choose a smooth, locally finite partition of unity subordinate to a trivializing cover, with , , and . DefineExtend each weighted term by zero outside its trivializing set; its support lies inside that set, so the extension is smooth. Local finiteness makes the sum smooth. At a point and for , every nonzero term is positive and at least one such term occurs. Thus . This proves that every smooth vector bundle admits a smooth fiber metric.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2009 iii Paper 17 3 a Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
A left-invariant vector field on a Lie group satisfiesor equivalently for every . For , defineThis is smooth because multiplication is smooth and its differential depends smoothly on the base points. The identity gives , so is a left-invariant vector field. Conversely, left invariance forces any such field to have this form with . Evaluation at and the construction above are inverse linear maps. HenceThe Lie bracket of vector fields is their commutator as derivations on smooth functions: . It is another vector field because the cross terms cancel in the Leibniz rule for its action on a product. The bracket is preserved by a diffeomorphism: conjugating the derivation operators by pullback of a smooth function preserves their commutator. Thereforefor left-invariant . These fields are consequently closed under the bracket.
Transport the bracket to the tangent space byBilinearity and antisymmetry come from the commutator. The Jacobi identity follows by expanding the three nested commutators of derivation operators: their six terms cancel in pairs. Thus is a Lie algebra, and the displayed correspondence is a Lie algebra isomorphism onto the algebra of left-invariant vector fields.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2009 iii Paper 19 1 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
An almost complex structure is a smooth real bundle endomorphism satisfying . In particular the real dimension is even, say . After complexifying, the type decomposition of the complexified tangent bundle isThe corresponding differential forms of type (p, q) are smooth sections of , regarded as alternating forms by the wedge product of differential forms. A form of type vanishes unless its arguments include vectors of type and of type .
Besides vanishing of the Nijenhuis tensor, two equivalent descriptions of an integrable almost complex structure are: the smooth sections of are closed under Lie bracket; and every point has complex coordinates in which is multiplication by , with holomorphic changes of coordinates. The equivalence with existence of these coordinates is the Newlander-Nirenberg theorem for smooth . A further equivalent condition is that the exterior derivative has only the two type components , with no components of bidegree or . Indeed evaluation of of a -form on two vector fields detects the component of their bracket; complex conjugation detects the other component.
For the almost complex structure induced by a complex atlas, write and put , . The differentials of holomorphic transition maps are complex linear, so these local definitions agree. In these coordinates has constant coefficients and all coordinate vector fields commute. The expression defining the Nijenhuis tensor is tensorial, so evaluating it on this frame proves it is zero everywhere. Thus the induced structure is integrable.
Here is a direct proof for the smooth submanifolds with invariant complex tangent spaces are complex assertion. At a point of , its tangent space is a complex-linear subspace, of real dimension . Make a complex-linear change of ambient holomorphic coordinates so that this tangent space is . Projection onto the first coordinates has invertible real differential on . The real inverse function theorem states that a smooth map between equal-dimensional manifolds with invertible differential is a diffeomorphism on sufficiently small neighbourhoods. It therefore writes locally as a smooth graph over an open set in .
A tangent vector to this graph is . Its image under is . Tangent-space invariance impliesso satisfies the Cauchy-Riemann equations. Smooth functions satisfying these equations are holomorphic: restrict to each coordinate complex line, use the one-variable criterion, and apply the iterated Cauchy integral formula on a small polydisc to get jointly holomorphic coefficients. Hence the graph parametrization is holomorphic. Restrictions of ambient holomorphic coordinates supply holomorphic transition maps between these graph charts. The restricted structure on is an integrable complex structure. This also proves the induced structure agrees with the original restriction, rather than merely producing some complex structure on .
A nonsingular analytic subvariety is a closed analytic subset which near each of its points is the zero set of a holomorphic submersion of constant rank; equivalently, it is locally a coordinate subspace in holomorphic coordinates. The holomorphic implicit function theorem says that if a holomorphic map to has differential of rank at a zero, its nearby zero set is a complex submanifold of codimension .
The homogeneous equation defines a subset of Complex projective space because multiplying a vector by multiplies its quadratic value by . Its gradient on is , which is nonzero for . More explicitly, in an affine chart set . If all derivatives of the restricted equation vanished at one of its zeros, all components of except possibly the th would vanish. The Euler homogeneous function theorem gives , forcing the remaining component to vanish as well. This contradicts invertibility of . The holomorphic implicit function theorem thus proves is a smooth complex surface.
To see its geometry, reduce the nondegenerate symmetric bilinear form to diagonal form over . There is a vector of nonzero self-pairing, since otherwise polarization would make the entire form zero. Normalize such a vector using a square root of its self-pairing. Its orthogonal complement remains nondegenerate, so induction gives an orthonormal basis. Apply the same argument to the nondegenerate form : the two forms are equivalent under an invertible linear change of variables. The allowed projective linear transformation therefore reduces toView its coordinates as the nonzero rank-one matrix . At , holding fixed and varying gives a projective line, and holding fixed and varying gives another. They are distinct and meet at . In fact these are the only lines through it: if a second rank-one matrix is , the entire pencil has determinant zero only if , so one projective factor is fixed. These are the two rulings of a smooth quadric surface.
The Segre embedding is the holomorphic mapEvery nonzero rank-one matrix has such a factorization, unique up to reciprocal rescaling, so is bijective. Its inverse is holomorphic on each open set where a matrix entry : the projective column recovers , and the projective row recovers . These formulas agree on overlaps. Thus the Segre description of a smooth quadric surface gives the promised stronger conclusion
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2010 iii Paper 14 3 b Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
First the common boundary distance function determines the induced tangential Riemannian metric. For a boundary curve with and , the local first-order distance expansion givesFor clarity, the upper bound follows from the length of the boundary curve. In a small coordinate neighbourhood the Riemannian metric is arbitrarily close to its value at , so the length of any sufficiently short joining path is bounded below by that constant-metric displacement norm with an arbitrarily small relative error. A minimizing short path cannot leave that neighbourhood. These two bounds prove the limit. Equality of the boundary distance functions then gives . The polarization identity yieldsThis alone fixes no choice of normal coordinates, so a boundary-fixing gauge is needed to compare the full tangent-space Riemannian metrics.
Let be the inward unit normals and letbe sufficiently small boundary normal coordinates. Their pullbacks have the form , with . On a collar define . It fixes the boundary, has for tangential , and sends to . For tangent-space vectors and at the boundary, therefore,This proves the desired full Riemannian metric equality locally at the boundary.
We also justify extending this local identification to a global diffeomorphism. Interpolate the positive Riemannian metrics by , for . Let be their inward unit-normal exponential collars. Compactness of the boundary and parameter interval gives a common small collar width for all . The intermediate Riemannian metrics need not be simple; only these local collars are used.
On the image of , define the time-dependent vector fieldwhere is one near zero and vanishes before the outer edge of the collar; extend by zero elsewhere. This is a smooth vector field on , vanishing at the boundary because . Its time-dependent flow is a global diffeomorphism fixing the boundary. For every sufficiently small fixed , the curve solves its equation, since . Uniqueness gives . Consequently agrees near the boundary with . Taking proves
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2010 iii Paper 15 2 Solution 2026-10-14
A smooth rank- vector bundle over a smooth manifold consists of a smooth total space , a smooth projection , and an -dimensional real vector space structure on each fibre . Each point has a neighborhood with a vector bundle trivializationthat is a diffeomorphism, commutes with projection to , and is a linear isomorphism on every fibre. The overlap maps have the form with smooth. For a complex vector bundle, replace by and require complex-linear fibre maps.
A connection on a vector bundle is an -linear mapwhere is the module of smooth sections, consists of vector-bundle-valued differential forms of degree one, and is a smooth function. Equivalently, evaluating on a vector field gives operators with and . A connection on a vector bundle is local: its value at a point depends on the germ of the section of a vector bundle, so the same definition applies to local sections.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2010 iii Paper 15 4 b Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
Put and . The hypothesis says that is a regular value of . Since its preimage is nonempty and the differential of a smooth map is surjective there, .
We use the following finite-dimensional inverse function theorem: if a smooth map , with open, has invertible derivative at , there are open neighborhoods of and on which is a diffeomorphism, with smooth inverse.
Fix . Choose coordinate charts centered at and , and shrink the source neighborhood so that its image under lies in the target chart. Its coordinate expression is with and derivative of rank . Choose domain coordinates giving an invertible minor, and relabel them as . DefineIts derivative at zero has block formso it is invertible. The inverse function theorem makes a new coordinate chart near . In this chart is exactly , because the target chart sends to zero. These are slice charts for an embedded submanifold; reordering coordinates if desired puts the free coordinates first. Giving the level set the subspace topology, these restricted charts are smoothly compatible, as in part (a). This proves the regular level set theorem rather than merely invoking it.
The level set is an embedded submanifold of dimension . The same coordinates show : tangent vectors to the slice have zero first components, which are exactly the components of . The empty-dimensional case gives a discrete zero-dimensional embedded submanifold.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2010 iii Paper 1 5 c Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
Choose a real vector subspace complementary to , so . The smooth maphas differential at , an isomorphism. The inverse function theorem makes a diffeomorphism from a sufficiently small product neighborhood onto an open neighborhood of the identity in .
There is a neighborhood of zero in in which implies . Otherwise choose nonzero tending to zero with . A normalized subsequence tends to a unit vector . The limit directions of a closed subgroup from part (a) give , contradicting . Shrink the product neighborhood so that this exclusion holds throughout its first factor.
If , then by the definition of , and hence . The exclusion forces . Conversely, every belongs to . Thus the local product coordinates for a closed subgroup identify near the identity exactly with the smooth coordinate slice .
Left translation by each element of gives the same description around that element, so is an embedded submanifold of in its subspace topology. The multiplication and inversion maps of restrict to smooth maps on this embedded submanifold, making a Lie group and an embedded Lie subgroup. Its tangent space at the identity is , because is the identity on this coordinate slice. It remains closed by hypothesis. This proves the closed-subgroup theorem, with no prior smoothness assumption on .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2010 ii Paper 4 24H i Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-14
For for which the geodesic exists up to time one, the exponential map is , where and . The initial velocity determines the geodesic uniquely. Since is the identity, this map is a local diffeomorphism near zero.
Choose an orthonormal basis of and set . The geodesic polar coordinates arein a normal neighbourhood, away from its centre. For sufficiently small positive , the geodesic circle iswithin that neighbourhood. Outside the injectivity range the distance sphere need not have this smooth coordinate description.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2012 ia Paper 3 10C Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-07
For fixed , andAs runs from zero to one, decreases continuously from one to zero. Thus the map is onto the open unit square and is one-to-one, with smooth inverseIts denominator is positive in the open square. This is a rational square diffeomorphism. Its Jacobian determinant isWriting , the inverse relation gives . ConsequentlyThe second transformation also maps the open unit square bijectively onto the open unit square: for fixed , decreases strictly from one to zero as goes from zero to one, while independently spans . Its positive Jacobian determinant isTo express this in , the composite transformation gives and . Put . Solving these relations givesThe chain rule for Jacobian determinants therefore givesThe requested integrand is exactly the reciprocal of this positive determinant. Apply the change of variables formula using the composite diffeomorphism:Possible singular behavior at the square's boundary does not invalidate the calculation: first integrate over the images of compact interior squares, where all transformations are smooth with nonzero Jacobian determinant, and then increase these domains to the full square. Positivity and monotone convergence theorem justify this limit.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2012 iii Paper 15 1 b Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-07
The differential one-form defines a smooth section of a vector bundle, and its one-form graph is an embedded copy of because . The defining property of the Liouville one-form gives . ConsequentlyThe one-form graph has dimension , half the dimension of the cotangent bundle. It is therefore a Lagrangian submanifold precisely when this pullback of a differential form vanishes:This is the twisted Lagrangian graph criterion.
Now suppose the projection restricts to a diffeomorphism on a Lagrangian submanifold . Its inverse followed by the inclusion defines a smooth section , hence a global differential one-form with image . The criterion forces , so its class in de Rham cohomology is zero. Thus rules out every such Lagrangian section. This cohomological obstruction to a Lagrangian section concerns graphs over the entire base; it does not claim that all Lagrangian submanifolds are absent.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2012 iii Paper 15 1 c Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-07
Yes. Choose a global differential one-form with , and use the cotangent fiber translationIt is a diffeomorphism with inverse , and . Directly from the Liouville one-form,The sign convention therefore givesThus is the required symplectomorphism. Equivalently, gives the inverse direction. This translation equivalence of exact twisted cotangent bundles is global even when is not compact; no completeness argument for a Moser theorem flow is needed.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2012 iii Paper 15 3 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-07
We prove the Weinstein neighborhood theorem with the canonical sign convention . The essential first step is to match the two symplectic forms as bilinear forms on the entire tangent space along , not only after pulling them back to .
Here is the needed symplectic splitting along a Lagrangian submanifold. Write and . Choose a smooth vector bundle complement of , for example using a Riemannian metric. Since is a Lagrangian subspace in every fiber, the pairing mapis an isomorphism: its kernel is , and both bundles have rank . Let be its inverse and put . Define byand set . Nondegeneracy of the dual pairing gives a unique smooth . Since is alternating,Thus is a smooth Lagrangian complement to . The mapis a vector bundle isomorphism, is the identity on , and satisfiesThe last equality uses the canonical splitting of the tangent bundle of along its zero section.
Choose a Riemannian metric near for which is orthogonal to . The tubular neighborhood construction using its Riemannian exponential map gives a diffeomorphismafter shrinking around the zero section. It restricts to the given inclusion of and has differential along it. Consequently and agree pointwise as ambient bilinear forms at every point of the zero section.
We use the following precise relative Moser theorem. If two closed symplectic forms near a compact embedded submanifold agree as ambient bilinear forms along , then, on smaller neighborhoods, there is a diffeomorphism fixing pointwise with . One sufficient version allows a symplectic path with and as ambient covectors along : solve and use its flow. The vector field vanishes on , so the flow fixes , and compactness permits a common smaller neighborhood for the full time interval.
For completeness, all hypotheses can be checked directly here. Put and . At the zero section, every equals . The nondegenerate property is open, and compactness of allows a single smaller neighborhood on which all are symplectic forms. Choose it fiberwise star-shaped. Write and let be the vertical radial vector field. The radial homotopy primitive near a zero sectionis smooth, is zero as an ambient covector along the zero section, and satisfiesThe radial homotopy operator gives this identity, using and . Smoothness at follows because contraction with supplies a factor of after evaluation at ; the vanishing of along supplies additional vanishing. Therefore solve . By Cartan's magic formula, its flow maps satisfyAfter shrinking the starting neighborhood, these flows exist for and fix . This is a relative local construction, not an assertion of completeness throughout the noncompact cotangent bundle.
Finally set , let be its sufficiently small domain, and let . ThenThus the map is a symplectomorphism of neighborhoods and agrees with the specified inclusion at every point of .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2012 iii Paper 15 4 a Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-07
For a covector , define the cotangent lift of a diffeomorphism byThe inverse derivative here maps to . This is a smooth diffeomorphism, its inverse is , and it satisfies .
For , the pullback of a differential form and the defining formula for the Liouville one-form giveHence , and applying the exterior derivative also proves . The cotangent lift of a diffeomorphism thus preserves both canonical forms, with no extra choice of metric or connection.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2012 iii Paper 15 4 b Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-07
First observe that the Liouville one-form is zero as an ambient covector exactly on the zero section. Indeed, , and is surjective. Since is invertible, therefore implies that maps the zero section onto itself. It induces a diffeomorphism defined by .
The map is a symplectomorphism, since it preserves . Let be the vertical Liouville vector field. With the chosen sign convention,Preservation of both and forces because is nondegenerate. Its complete cotangent fiber-dilation flow isUniqueness of integral curves gives . If , let . Continuity and this commutation yieldThus for every : the whole cotangent fiber over maps into the fiber over . This step proves that covers ; it was not assumed.
Now write . For any , choose a tangent vector to projecting to . Evaluating on it givesSince is invertible, . Thereforeand is unique. This rigidity of cotangent Liouville-form preservation uses smoothness at the zero section; it follows from the canonical form and its dilation dynamics on the entire cotangent bundle.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2012 iii Paper 15 4 c Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-07
For any positive-dimensional , choose a smooth function with not identically zero. A nonconstant smooth bump in a coordinate chart supplies one on an arbitrary smooth manifold. Translate by this exact differential form:The cotangent fiber translation identities giveThus a nontrivial exact fiber translation is a symplectomorphism that fails to preserve the Liouville one-form. For example, on one can take : it preserves but changes to .
If dimension zero is admitted, and , so every diffeomorphism preserves and this requested distinction is impossible. The example therefore applies in positive dimension, as required for a nonzero differential one-form.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2012 iii Paper 17 1 2 Solution 2026-10-07
The local flow of is the smooth map , where is the maximal open domain of initial-point/time pairs, whose curve is the maximal integral curve of a vector field through , with . Smooth dependence in the ordinary differential equation theorem gives joint smoothness and openness of . Each time slice is a diffeomorphism between its domain and image, with inverse .
Here is the group law, including its domain qualification. Fix where the relevant trajectories exist. Both curvessolve the same autonomous ordinary differential equation and have value at . The uniqueness from the first part therefore giveson their common interval. These are local identities; neither the vector field nor its local flow has been assumed complete.
For the commuting local flows and , differentiate with respect to at zero. The chain rule givesThus the pushforward of a vector field by the flow equals . Interchanging the two fields gives the analogous identity for under .
Now let . Pointwise linear independence makes this a rank-two smooth distribution. The identity just proved implies : in coordinates, differentiating at gives , precisely the vanishing Lie bracket of vector fields. The bracket of two local sections is also in , sinceand the analogous terms for and remain in the same span. Therefore is an involutive distribution.
The Frobenius theorem says that a smooth constant-rank involutive distribution has local coordinates in which it is spanned by , and has unique maximal connected integral manifolds through its points. These are the leaves of a regular foliation. Let be the maximal leaf through . The global confinement to an immersed leaf gives the answer: is a two-dimensional immersed integral manifold and every smooth -tangent curve starting at stays in .
For the curve assertion, in each Frobenius chart the transverse coordinate functions have zero derivative along such a curve. Hence its segment in that chart stays in one plaque. On any compact subinterval of the curve's parameter interval, a finite chain of overlapping such segments connects the initial plaque to the last; all belong to the same maximal leaf. Exhausting the parameter interval proves the assertion for every time.
The two commuting local flows also give the leaf parametrization directly near :Its partial derivatives are and , by the pushforward identity. Its differential has rank two. The constant rank theorem makes a sufficiently small image an embedded local plaque with tangent plane . This is a concrete local construction of the integral manifold.
There is a global distinction in the word “submanifold”. If it is required to mean an embedded submanifold, the assertion for all times is not valid in general. On the three-dimensional torus , takeThe fields are independent and commute, and their dense immersed cylinder in a three-dimensional torus through zero isIt is an injectively immersed cylinder and is dense in the torus. Indeed, fixing and varying by integers makes dense by an irrational rotation of the circle; is unrestricted. Every point of this leaf is reached by a tangent curve . An embedded surface containing it would, in a submanifold chart near one of its points, be a closed coordinate plane containing a dense subset of the ambient open chart, an impossibility. Thus the global conclusion uses an immersed leaf; the embedded conclusion is local, for curve segments remaining in a suitable chart.