Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2023 ib Paper 4 14A a Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
Take the Fourier transform in . Since , the transformed heat equation isThereforeThe given transform pair and the convolution theorem yield the heat-kernel solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2023 iii Paper 303 1 b i Solution Created 2026-09-28 Updated 2026-10-03
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2023 iii Paper 310 3 b Solution 2026-09-28
After a spatial Fourier transform, the preceding equation isThe constant particular solution is . Hence the Sachs-Wolfe combinationcontains only the homogeneous harmonic oscillator modes and satisfiesFor adiabatic initial conditions on large scales, and at the start of matter domination. Up to an irrelevant choice of the phase origin,Thus the radiation acoustic transfer function is flat at as and oscillates on smaller scales. Projection onto the sky produces a large-angle Sachs-Wolfe plateau and, after the full photon-baryon physics is included, the acoustic structure of the Cosmic microwave background power spectrum.
The baryon transfer function should also oscillate soon after cosmological recombination: before decoupling, Thomson scattering forced baryons to share the acoustic motion of the photon-baryon fluid, and recombination does not instantly erase the resulting density pattern.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2023 iii Paper 312 3 i Solution 2026-09-28
Let the photon phase-space distribution be a Planck distribution whose local temperature is . In the absence of collisions, Liouville theorem says that the distribution is constant along a photon null geodesic. Linearizing about the homogeneous distribution and using givesA spatial Fourier transform sends to , soThis is the Free-streaming photon Boltzmann equation: the second term transports angular structure, while the last term is the gravitational redshift source.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2023 iii Paper 321 1 a Solution 2026-09-28
In the razor-thin disk approximation, the three-dimensional Poisson equation isFor a horizontal Fourier mode with wavevector and , the Fourier transform of this equation isThe solution that decays away from the disk isConsequently the required razor-thin disk Poisson kernel in the midplane isThe spatially uniform background is excluded from this local perturbation formula.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2023 iii Paper 321 2 f Solution 2026-09-28
Take the Fourier transform in , with convention . The differentiation rules and turn the forced equation intoFor the unforced equation, impliesIt is therefore exactly the shearing-wave oscillator found in part c, now parametrized by radial wavenumber rather than time.
In free space , and the fourth moment obeysFor the two-dimensional Fourier transformthe Fourier transform of a derivative turns this equation into the ordinary differential equationThusUsing the screen-exit value from part (a), the inverse transform givesthrough first order in . Equivalently, the free-space fourth-moment propagator has kernel
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2023 iii Paper 344 2 b Solution 2026-09-28
The Fourier transform sends each spatial derivative to , so at Gaussian levelFor , minimizing over givesThe minimum kernel is . Gaussian fluctuations first diverge when this vanishes, so the nonzero-wavevector soft-mode sphere becomes unstable at
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2023 ii Paper 1 23F a Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
For , the Sobolev trace theorem states that the restriction map initially defined on smooth functions extends uniquely to a bounded linear operator
Take first in the Schwartz space. Up to the harmless constant determined by the Fourier transform convention,The Cauchy-Schwarz inequality, with weights , givesAfter the substitution , the second factor iswhere finiteness is exactly the condition . Multiplying by and integrating in yieldsDensity of the Schwartz space in the Sobolev space completes the unique bounded extension.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2023 ii Paper 2 23F b Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2023 ii Paper 3 13C a Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
Setting makes the inhibitor equation quasistatic:Taking the spatial Fourier transform and using the Fourier transform of a derivative givesTherefore the fast-inhibitor elimination in a reaction-diffusion system is
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2023 ii Paper 3 22F c Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
Taking the Fourier transform of the distributional equation givesbecause is even. The multiplier therefore gives the regularity gain for one plus an even power of the Laplacian
The Sobolev embedding theorem in its derivative form says thatTo make all derivatives through order continuous, and simultaneously make continuous, it is enough and in general necessary to haveUnder this condition the distributional identity is a pointwise identity, so is a classical solution. ThusAt the borderline , the standard Sobolev embedding does not in general give continuity.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2023 ii Paper 3 34D Solution Created 2026-09-23 Updated 2026-09-25
Let the Bravais lattice have primitive vectors , and putThe reciprocal lattice has the basisThe scalar triple product and cross product identities giveConsequently every satisfies for every lattice point , and conversely these three conditions force the coefficients of in the reciprocal basis to be integers. This proves that the displayed vectors generate .
In the Born approximation, suppose that the crystal potential is the sum of translates of one atomic potential over the finite set of lattice sites. Its Fourier transform at the momentum transfer factors asThus the single-atom scattering amplitude is multiplied by the crystal lattice structure factor . Writingseparates the sum into three finite geometric series. For this givesWhen the are large, a factor has a sharp maximum when . All three factors are therefore simultaneously large precisely when . These are the reciprocal-lattice peaks of a finite crystal.
For the stated Body-centered cubic lattice basis,the reciprocal-basis formula givesEquivalently,The shortest nonzero reciprocal vectors have squared Euclidean norm , so
In elastic scattering, . If and is the angle between and , Euclidean geometry givesThe first possible diffraction peak therefore occurs atas , by the small-angle approximation. This is the elastic Bragg scattering condition for the shortest reciprocal-lattice vector.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2023 ii Paper 3 39C b i Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
The Fourier modes evolve according to the dispersion relation found in part (a), soFor , the stationary-point equation isIt has the two real solutionsDefineThe one-dimensional stationary-phase formula gives one contribution from each stationary point:Because the initial field is real, its Fourier transform has the conjugate symmetry . Hence the same result can be written
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2024 iii Paper 303 2 a Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
A momentum-shell renormalization group step has three parts. First split the Fourier transform of the field into slow modes with and fast modes with , then perform the functional integral over . Second rescale momenta by , equivalently coordinates by , to restore the cutoff from to . Third rescale the field so that the coefficient of again has its chosen normalization. The effective free energy contains every operator allowed by the symmetries, with transformed coefficients. Repeating the step composes these coefficient maps and produces a renormalization-group flow.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2024 iii Paper 304 3 a Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
The inverse Fourier transform is linear:Splitting the integration domain into and , then inserting the definitions of and , gives
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2024 iii Paper 327 1 a i Solution 2026-09-28
The Schwartz space on the real line isThese seminorms define its Fréchet space topology. The space of tempered distributions is its continuous dual space,
With the angular-frequency convention, the Fourier transform of a Schwartz function isIt maps continuously to itself. The transform of is defined through the dual pairing:up to the fixed reflection and factor if the inverse-transform convention is used for the test function.
Remove the two reciprocal tails by settingThe assumed remainder at each end and local integrability on bounded intervals imply . Its Fourier transform is therefore continuous at zero. Since ,Parts (iv) and (v) show that both requested one-sided limits exist. If denotes the limit from positive frequencies and the limit from negative frequencies, then the common value cancels andThis is the universal jump caused by reciprocal tails.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2024 iii Paper 327 3 b Solution 2026-09-28
For a test function , define the proposed integral by reversing the order of integration:The Fourier transform of a test function is a Schwartz function, while . The final integral is consequently absolutely convergent. Repeated integration by parts in bounds it by finitely many seminorms of the test function, so it defines a continuous linear functional on .
Equivalently, put on the two half-lines. ThenThe density has only an integrable inverse-square-root singularity at one and is bounded at infinity, so it is a regular tempered distribution. Its inverse Fourier transform is exactly the proposed oscillatory integral. Thus