Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2013 iii Paper 51 1 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-07
Use geometrized units and metric signature ; is proper time. The Killing vectors and of the Schwarzschild metric give the conserved specific Killing energy and specific angular momentumPut . In the equatorial plane , and normalization of the four-velocity givesChoosing the inward branch therefore yieldsThe divergence of the time component at the Schwarzschild event horizon is a coordinate effect; the inward radial component tends to .
Capture from infinity. To reach the event horizon from infinity, the radial square must remain nonnegative throughout . Equivalently,Differentiating the right side gives , so its minimum occurs at and equals . Thusis the necessary capture bound. At equality the radial numerator is . An inward particle arriving from larger radii approaches the unstable orbit only after infinite proper time, because is proportional to near that orbit. Actual plunges from infinity require . This is Schwarzschild marginally bound capture.
The origin-at-infinity hypothesis is important and is not explicit in the PDF. A particle already inside the angular-momentum barrier can plunge with larger . For example, and initial radius give positive radial numerator , remaining positive as decreases to . This trajectory has and reaches the event horizon. Thus an unrestricted claim about every inward particle would be false; the bound is the intended capture-from-infinity statement.
Invariant collision energy. At a collision, the total four-momentum is . The invariant center-of-mass energy uses the covariant metric:The PDF instead prints a raised metric multiplying raised velocities. That contraction is not a tensor scalar; the corrected expression above, or a raised metric with lowered momenta, is required. Since each four-velocity has norm ,Let . For two inward trajectories the radial product is positive, and direct substitution into the Schwarzschild metric givesPutting these terms over one denominator proves
Horizon limit and the upper bound. A cancellation-free way to take the limit is to write and . As ,Henceand thereforeFor particles captured from infinity, , giving in the horizon limit. For actual captured trajectories the inequality is strict, but the supremum is approached by and . Their azimuthal starting positions can be chosen so that the trajectories meet. If particles may instead be prepared near the event horizon, the counterexample , has limiting energy ; no universal bound then follows.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2014 ia Paper 4 12C Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-06
For a massive particle of rest mass , its four-momentum is , where the four-velocity is , and . With metric signature , . A photon has four-momentum , a future-pointing null vector. Four-momentum conservation states that the total incoming and outgoing four-momenta agree for an isolated interaction; this includes both energy and momentum conservation in every inertial frame.
Take the incoming photon direction as . Its energy is , so the total initial four-momentum isThe invariant mass available after photon absorption is therefore . In the centre-of-momentum frame, the two equal daughters have opposite momenta. Their total energy is at least their combined rest energy , with equality precisely when both daughters have zero momentum in that frame. Thus the mass threshold after photon absorption isThe bound is attainable kinematically by taking each daughter four-momentum equal to ; each then has the required rest mass. It immediately gives as .
At this threshold both daughters move with the centre-of-momentum frame. The common laboratory velocity follows from :For , its continuous limiting value is zero. At smaller allowed daughter rest masses, some of the centre-of-momentum energy appears as their relative kinetic energy, so their four-momenta need not be .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2015 ia Paper 4 12C Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-06
For a Lorentz transformation to an inertial frame moving at speed in the positive direction, write and . Any four-vector transforms asThis convention applies to and uses the same Minkowski metric as the four-momentum calculation.
The definition of proper time gives for . Hence the four-velocity isSince , differentiating with respect to proper time givesHere simplifies the spatial component of the four-acceleration.
At each event, boost with to the instantaneous rest inertial frame. Then and . Thus the signed proper acceleration for one-dimensional motion isThe last equality follows by differentiating ; its magnitude is the usual scalar proper acceleration.
If this signed proper acceleration is constant and the particle starts from rest, integration gives , soIntegrating once more and imposing yields the hyperbolic motion worldlineFor the continuous limiting solution is . Finally, the Taylor series of the square root givesThis recovers constant-acceleration Newtonian mechanics at low speed while the exact relativistic speed remains less than .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2015 ii Paper 1 34A ii Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-06
In the local rest frame the four-velocity is , the current is , and the pressureless particle fluid has only nonzero. Covariance therefore givesThe absence of random rest-frame velocities is what makes this a dust stress-energy tensor rather than a fluid with pressure. The Lorentz four-force on a particle and its equation of motion are and .
Particle-number conservation gives . It also follows from charge conservation when , obtained by antisymmetric double differentiation of Maxwell's equations. ConsequentlyAdding part (i) proves . Energy and momentum exchanged with the field cancel in the total tensor.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2015 ii Paper 2 34D a Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-06
Let and parametrize the timelike geodesic by proper time . Time-translation and rotational symmetry conserve and in the equatorial plane. The normalized four-velocity obeysSubstitution and multiplication by give , orThe dot denotes a proper-time derivative, and are energy and angular momentum per unit rest mass.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2018 ii Paper 1 36D Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-03
Use the Minkowski metric and define the electromagnetic field tensor byAs a rank-two Lorentz tensor, it transforms under a Lorentz transformation asTwo independent quadratic electromagnetic field invariants are
With , , and , the components areDirect contraction giveswhere the sign of changes if the opposite spacetime orientation is chosen. Since both are complete tensor contractions, and are Lorentz scalars.
For a constant uniform field, the relativistic Lorentz force is a constant-coefficient linear ordinary differential equation. Its solution is the matrix exponential
Now implies that the field is a null electromagnetic field:The stated axes allow us to choosePut . On the coordinates, the mixed tensor divided by isThe particle starts with four-velocity , so the exponential terminates after its quadratic term and givesIntegrating with the particle initially at the origin gives the relativistic trajectory in a constant null crossed fieldEliminating yieldsIf the original positive direction is opposite to , both the sign of and the displayed signed coefficient reverse.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2018 ii Paper 1 37E b Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-03
Because is proper time, the four-velocity has normalizationAt , the initial data therefore giveBoth and are future oriented, so the positive root must be chosen:
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2019 iii Paper 310 1 a Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-05
A perfect fluid in general relativity has stress-energy tensorwhere . Besides the metric tensor, one needs the energy density , the pressure , and three independent components of the normalized four-velocity : five scalar functions of spacetime in total.
The four equations of stress-energy conservation, , split parallel and perpendicular to intoAn equation of state, such as a barotropic equation of state , supplies the fifth relation needed to close the evolution.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2019 ii Paper 1 36E Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-29
For a constant electromagnetic field tensor, the relativistic Lorentz force is a linear system with constant coefficients, so
PutThe initial four-velocity is . For parallel fields along , the field tensor has one hyperbolic block in the plane and one rotation block in the plane. With the orientation convention in the question,Taking the initial spacetime point to be the origin and integrating gives the relativistic motion in parallel electric and magnetic fieldsThe expressions have their continuous or limits when one field vanishes; reversing the sign of reverses the electric acceleration and magnetic rotation.
Eliminating proper time between the first two equations yieldsAt early coordinate time,which is uniformly accelerated motion with the transverse relativistic inertia factor . At late positive time,so the longitudinal speed approaches the speed of light.
For the pitch magnitude assume and put , , andNumber the th proper-time period as . Its longitudinal displacement isConsequently, as ,where
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2021 ii Paper 1 37C d Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
Let be the worldline, its four-velocity, andThe relativistic Lorentz force in the constant background isBecause , its exponential terminates:The particle starts from rest, soUsing the matrix from part (c) givesIntegrating from the origin and using yields the parametric trajectoryThis is the relativistic trajectory in a constant null crossed field. The real cubic relation for is strictly increasing, so it determines uniquely as a function of coordinate time if an explicit is desired.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2022 ii Paper 3 37D b Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
A static worldline has four-velocityIts four-acceleration is . The only nonzero component isTaking its norm with gives the proper acceleration of a static Schwarzschild observerIt points radially outward, because that is the acceleration needed to prevent the station from falling. As the square-root factor tends to one, and , the Newtonian gravitational field in units .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2023 ib Paper 2 16D a Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
Let , let be proper time, and define the four-velocity and four-momentum byIf is the electromagnetic field tensor, the covariant Lorentz force law isThe temporal component and three spatial components respectively giveHere is the relativistic energy and is the relativistic momentum. In the nonrelativistic limit, , so the spatial equation becomesthe usual Lorentz-force law.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2023 ii Paper 1 37A c Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
The four-velocity and particle energy areWith the conventions for the given metric, . The temporal component of the covariant Lorentz force is thereforeSince , cancellation of gives the relativistic electromagnetic work-energy theoremThe absence of reflects that magnetic force is perpendicular to the velocity and does no work.
Proper-time normalization 2026-09-24
With signature and units , parametrizing a timelike worldline by proper time makes its four-velocity satisfy .