Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 iii Paper 303 3 b Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-05
Compute the coupling flow at zero magnetic field, or assume the source has support only in retained Fourier modes, so that the shell Gaussian measure is centered. First justify the shell propagator. For a positive quadratic kernel on the shell, the Gaussian functional integral gives covariance equal to the inverse kernel,with both momenta restricted to . Inserting the Fourier transforms and using the Dirac delta function yields the Gaussian shell covarianceChanging to gives the negative-exponent convention as well. The dependence is on the separation, as required by translation invariance. The printed numerator uses alone: it is correct only if that symbol means the separation or if . For example at , the covariance must equal the constant coincident value , while the literal printed integral generally depends on . Thus the missing separation is a real source qualification, not a change of Fourier-sign convention.
Integrating out the shell gives , up to a field-independent constant. At first order in , the cumulant expansion of a coarse-grained free energy retains . Odd moments of the centered Gaussian measure vanish and Wick theorem gives . Writing ,The last term affects only the constant; the second is a momentum-independent tadpole diagram correction. Before rescaling it changes to , leaves the quartic coefficient at , and produces no gradient correction. Combining with part (a) gives the leading coupling recursionThis is one-loop shell mass renormalization in scalar quartic theory. Here . The shell Gaussian is well defined if there; near this follows from . A negative slow-mode mass may be stabilized by the retained quartic term and does not require pretending that the full unconstrained quadratic measure at negative mass is normalizable.
Linearizing about givesIts mass and quartic eigenvalues are and . The off-diagonal term is an additive critical-mass shift: setting the bare is not generally the critical tuning when . The mass remains relevant for every ; at the two linear eigenvalues coincide and the matrix can have a Jordan block, but both perturbations are still relevant.
For , the quartic interaction is an irrelevant operator, and the Gaussian fixed point attracts weak quartic perturbations after the mass and magnetic field have been tuned. The quartic can nevertheless be a dangerously irrelevant coupling: its positive value stabilizes the ordered phase. For , it is a relevant operator, so the Gaussian description is unstable toward interactions. At it is a marginal operator; first-order perturbation theory alone does not decide its fate.
To settle that borderline case, retain the leading quartic contribution from the second cumulant, at zero external momentum in the local expansion. The two-fast-field part of is . Since , its connected second cumulant contributesKeeping the local quartic term and using Parseval identity gives , where . Thus the one-loop shell quartic renormalization isThe coefficient follows from multiplying the quartic density correction by . This local, zero-external-momentum coupling extraction is not a claim that the exact finite-shell effective action retains only its original polynomial; further operators are generated.
More explicitly, for a thin shell , let , and . With increasing length scale , the leading flow isThis convention has the opposite scale direction to a renormalization-group beta function defined using increasing momentum. On the tuned critical surface at , and , so weak positive is marginally irrelevant, tending to zero with logarithmic corrections rather than remaining an exactly marginal parameter. Just below four dimensions, with , the same calculation yields the Wilson-Fisher fixed point , . It does not justify extrapolating a small- expansion to every lower dimension. The ordinary scalar quartic upper critical dimension is therefore
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 iii Paper 312 4 a i Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
Use the comoving curvature perturbation mode normalization. Take to be effectively constant at leading slow-roll approximation order, with , and use the Bunch-Davies vacuum selected by the early-time contour. The regulator is distinct from the Hubble slow-roll parameter .
Let and use the Fourier transform convention . Conversion to conformal time givesThe last sign follows from substituting , which is positive for ; dropping the explicit minus sign in that substitution would reverse the final primordial bispectrum.
At the order needed by the in-in formalism, the unequal-time Wick contraction isIt uses the Gaussian quantum vacuum two-point function with the displayed operator ordering; an arbitrary classical unequal-time covariance cannot replace it. For the connected three-point function, each external field contracts with one of the three fields at the vertex. There are such Wick contractions, all equal. The spatial integral conserves total momentum and leaves one factor . The other nine pairings are disconnected tadpole terms supported on a zero external momentum; they are excluded from the connected primordial bispectrum, equivalently by subtracting the one-point function or normal ordering the vertex.
The free Gaussian odd correlator is zero. Applying the stated first-order in-in formalism therefore givesBy definition, the full connected correlator is . The assumptions are a Gaussian Bunch-Davies vacuum, the given leading cubic vertex, tree order, the late-time limit , effectively constant background parameters, and connected nonzero external modes. No symmetry factor is inserted into the given Hamiltonian.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 iii Paper 327 1 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
Use the Fourier transform convention and , so . All distribution pairings use complex bilinearity, and the formal transpose is , without complex conjugation of the coefficients. If instead denotes , the Fourier multiplier is ; the argument below is unchanged after this substitution.
For a nonempty compact convex set , let be its support function. The Paley–Wiener–Schwartz theorem says that the Fourier transform is a bijection between distributions supported in and entire functions on for whichfor some and nonnegative integer . In particular, support in is equivalent to the bound with . Convexity is essential in the precise support formulation: the support function of a set equals that of its convex hull.
Suppose first that is a compactly supported distribution with support in . Define , inserting any cutoff function equal to one near when viewing on test functions. A fixed cutoff and the finite order of a distribution estimate permit differentiation of the pairing in each complex variable, giving . The exponential function's power series converges with every required derivative on a fixed compact set; hence is an entire function. On real frequencies it agrees with the Fourier transform of a compactly supported distribution.
The exact exponential indicator needs a shrinking cutoff function, rather than one fixed outside . Choose near , with support in and for . Such a cutoff is obtained by convolving the indicator of with a mollifier supported in . On one fixed ball containing all these supports, the finite order of a distribution bound isThe Leibniz rule applied to therefore givesTaking proves the required bound, with and a fixed additional factor at most .
Conversely, suppose is an entire function with the displayed bound. Its real restriction has polynomial growth, so its inverse Fourier transform defines a tempered distribution byRapid decay of the Schwartz function makes this integral absolutely convergent and continuous in the Schwartz space topology.
To determine the support of a distribution, take a test function supported in a half-space , where and . The contour-shift proof of the Paley–Wiener–Schwartz theorem gives, for each ,Here is the estimate that justifies both the shift and its limiting use. Since , repeated integration by parts with yieldsFor fixed , the same estimate is uniform over the imaginary strip from to . Rotate coordinates so is the first coordinate direction, apply the Cauchy integral theorem on truncated rectangles, and let their real edges tend to infinity. If , the boundary integrals vanish and the horizontal integrals converge absolutely; thus the claimed shift is valid. Using now bounds the pairing bywhich tends to zero. A separating hyperplane exists at every point outside the compact convex set . A finite partition of unity on the support of any exterior test function reduces it to such half-spaces, so . Fourier inversion gives uniqueness; the entire transform of this agrees with on and hence everywhere, by applying the one-variable identity theorem successively in each coordinate. This completes both directions.
Now apply this theorem to compact support solvability for a constant-coefficient ordinary differential equation. If is a nonzero constant, its kernel is zero and is the unique solution. Otherwise writeThe solution space of isIndeed these exponentials solve the equation, their initial derivative vectors have a nonzero Vandermonde determinant, and uniqueness for the order- ordinary differential equation makes them a basis. Pairing with any such solution proves necessity:
For sufficiency, choose with and let . The assumed annihilation is precisely for every . Since all roots of a polynomial are simple, has removable singularities at every root and is an entire function. Outside one disk, . Inside that disk, the extended is bounded. The polynomial division preservation of exponential type therefore givesThe Paley–Wiener–Schwartz theorem produces a compactly supported distribution with transform , supported in the same interval. Then , so Fourier inversion gives . ThusThe compactly supported solution is unique: forces the entire transform to vanish off the finitely many roots and hence everywhere. With repeated roots, the corresponding condition would also require derivatives , or pairing with , up to one less than each multiplicity.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 iii Paper 327 2 i Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
For multi-indices , defineThese seminorms define the Fréchet space topology of the Schwartz space: exactly when every tends to zero. An equivalent increasing family isA tempered distribution is a continuous linear functional on this space. Equivalently, for some . The usual weak convergence of tempered distributions means for every fixed Schwartz function. The strong dual topology instead requires uniform convergence on every subset of the Schwartz space that is a bounded set in a topological vector space; the Fourier maps below are continuous in both topologies.
Using , differentiation under the integral and integration by parts giveThe omitted coefficient has modulus one. By the Leibniz rule, every integrand is a finite sum of a polynomial times a derivative of . Inserting the integrable weight bounds its L1 norm by finitely many Schwartz space seminorms. In particular . Thus the Fourier transform maps continuously into itself.
For completeness, the Fourier inversion theorem follows here by Gaussian regularization. The inverse transform of is . The Fourier transform of a Gaussian and Fubini's theorem showAs , the right side tends to by the approximate identity property, while the left side tends to the undamped inverse integral by dominated convergence theorem, since . HenceThe inverse is times reflection composed with the continuous Fourier transform, and is therefore continuous on the Schwartz space. This proves a continuous linear isomorphism with continuous inverse.
Define the Fourier transform of a tempered distribution byThe continuous map on Schwartz space makes this a tempered distribution; the transpose of supplies its inverse. Pointwise convergence of pairings proves weak continuity. For the strong dual topology, the transform of a bounded set of Schwartz functions is bounded, so uniform convergence of pairings on bounded sets proves continuity of both Fourier maps there too.
Now let be a rotation matrix in the special orthogonal group and write . A change of variables with unit Jacobian givesThe rotation equivariance of the Fourier transform on tempered distributions follows by duality:Therefore . Applying this identity and the inverse Fourier transform gives the two directions:This is precisely preservation of radial tempered distributions. For , acts transitively on spheres, so an invariant smooth function is an ordinary radial function.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 iii Paper 338 3 a ii Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
Write spatial frequency in cycles across the optical pupil as . The previous result gives a maximum axial spatial frequency . If one counts one representative per positive-quadrant integer lattice point inside an isotropic disk , the continuum area estimate isThis is the geometric counting convention producing the printed formula. Lattice boundaries, the zero-frequency piston and axis points give lower-order corrections, so the formula is not an exact integer count.
The mode definition in the PDF is , hence and . It does not itself specify a two-dimensional lattice, its orientation, its independent wave phase components or a circular rather than square spatial frequency cutoff. Full-cycle integer frequencies correspond only to the even values of in that definition. A general real wavefront error also needs both sine and cosine quadratures, and distinct oblique orientations cannot all be identified with a single positive quadrant: the Fourier transform of a real wavefront has conjugate coefficients at and , rather than identifying every independent sign change of a component.
For comparison, a circular spatial frequency disk has approximately signed full-cycle lattice points, or conjugate pairs; two real wave phase components per pair restore approximately real degrees of freedom. A square spatial frequency support gives a different count. The circular physical optical pupil similarly has only about illuminated actuators. The printed is a quadrant area estimate under an extra counting convention; it is not a uniquely determined count of all independently correctable wavefront modes from the stated one-dimensional mode condition.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 iii Paper 340 1 a Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
Use the Fourier transform convention . An orthonormal multiresolution analysis is a family of closed vector subspaces , indexed by integers, with , , and . Its dilation condition is if and only if . The space is invariant under integer function translations and admits a scaling function whose integer function translations form an orthonormal basis. Consequently form an orthonormal basis of .
Since , expansion in that orthonormal basis gives the scaling refinement equationThe series converges in the L2 norm. The associated low-pass filter of a multiresolution analysis is the periodic Fourier series symbolInitially the symbol is defined almost everywhere. Orthonormal integer function translations give the quadrature mirror filter identity almost everywhere. For a Lebesgue integrable scaling function, its Fourier transform is continuous and ; choosing a constant phase makes and the continuous representative near zero has . Different conventions absorb into the refinement coefficients; the displayed convention fixes that ambiguity.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 iii Paper 340 1 b Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
Let denote the orthogonal complement of inside . The Meyer-Mallat theorem constructs a wavelet whose integer function translations form an orthonormal basis of . Dilation then gives the orthogonal decomposition into orthogonal complements , so its translates and dilates form an orthonormal wavelet basis.
Using the MRA low-pass filter, choose the high-pass symbol . The quadrature mirror filter identity makes the two analysis channels orthonormal. The resulting Fourier transform formula isEquivalently, with the refinement coefficients from the scaling refinement equation, put and . This index choice gives precisely the displayed high-pass symbol. Changing all by one constant unit phase gives the same orthonormal wavelet construction. In particular the often-used convention differs only by a global minus sign. The basis is for .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 iii Paper 340 1 d Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
Under the smoothness hypotheses in the smooth-mask vanishing-moment criterion, write any nonzero integer as , where and is odd, possibly negative. Iterating the scaling refinement equation exactly times givesThe last MRA low-pass filter factor is . Its derivatives of all orders less than vanish at , because is odd and the MRA low-pass filter is -periodic. If the remaining factors are at the displayed arguments, the product rule forces every derivative of order less than of the product to vanish. In particular compact support and a finite MRA low-pass filter supply all these hypotheses. Therefore the integer-frequency zeros of a scaling function are
Under only the printed assumptions, the exact same finite refinement argument gives the Peano zero . Indeed, the last MRA low-pass filter factor has that estimate, the other MRA low-pass filter factors are bounded by one almost everywhere by the quadrature mirror filter identity, and the last Fourier transform factor is bounded because . The estimate initially holds almost everywhere and extends to every by continuity of . It does not imply arbitrary ordinary higher derivatives. In the lacunary scaling-phase regularity counterexample, is nondifferentiable at dense dyadic points next to the isolated integer-frequency zeros of the smooth base transform. Thus the same regularity qualification is necessary here.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 ii Paper 2 24J a Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-05
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 ii Paper 2 24J e Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-05
No, under the absolute-integral convention. Direct integration givesOn a fixed positive-length portion of every period, the numerator is bounded below. Summing the resulting lower bounds gives a divergent harmonic series, so the Fourier transform is not in . Also there is no continuous almost-everywhere representative: continuity would force it to be on and on , giving incompatible limits at . Symmetrically truncated conditional inversion does hold at interior continuity points and gives half the jump value at the endpoints; this does not contradict the answer.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 ii Paper 3 20F iii Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-05
For , the convolution equals the length of the overlap of two intervals:It is continuous and compactly supported, with . Inverse Fourier transform turns this convolution into a product, soThis function is bounded near zero and at infinity, hence lies in . Fourier inversion, or the convolution theorem applied first to the integrable interval indicators, gives .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 ii Paper 3 20F i Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-05
Dominated convergence makes continuous, and . Smooth compactly supported functions are dense in . Their Fourier transforms decay at infinity by integration by parts, so uniform approximation proves the Riemann-Lebesgue lemma: .
For density, smooth compactly supported functions are also uniformly dense in by cutoff and mollification. Each such target is a Schwartz function; its inverse Fourier transform is another Schwartz function, hence belongs to , and Fourier inversion recovers . Therefore the image of a function of is dense in .
The Fourier inversion theorem says that if , then agrees almost everywhere with the inverse integral of . If , this applies and gives almost everywhere. Hence the Fourier transform is injective as a map of equivalence classes, with dense image in .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 ii Paper 3 20F iv Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-05
If the bounded injective Fourier transform were surjective, the open mapping theorem for Banach spaces would make its inverse bounded, yielding . But the preceding have uniform norm , whereas diverges.
For a quantitative lower bound, on we have . On each interval , . For these intervals lie below for large , soThis contradicts boundedness of the inverse. Therefore the Fourier transform has proper dense image in .