Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2013 iii Paper 17 2 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-07
A connection on a vector bundle is a complex-linear map from smooth sections to vector-bundle-valued one-forms satisfyingChoose a locally finite trivializing cover, its componentwise flat connections on a vector bundle , and a subordinate smooth partition of unity . The formula is globally meaningful: each weighted term extends by zero outside its chart. Its Leibniz rule follows from , proving every smooth complex vector bundle admits a connection.
Extend the connection on a vector bundle to bundle-valued differential forms byThe curvature form of a connection is . Applying this twice to shows that the terms cancel, so is tensorial and defines an -valued two-form. With column coordinates for sections and connection one-form , the local expression is . Direct expansion on an arbitrary bundle-valued form givesThe terms containing a derivative of the argument cancel by the graded Leibniz rule. Thus Cartan curvature matrix equation isHere multiplication includes matrix multiplication and the exterior product of form entries. For a frame change , the connection one-form and curvature form of a connection transform asThe trace is consequently frame independent. Alsothe diagonal terms vanish and the off-diagonal terms cancel in pairs. Locally , and hence . The local primitives need not agree, but the two-form does. We obtain a global closed two-form .
The determinant connection on is defined intrinsically bywhere the differential-form coefficient of is placed first. In a local frame, only the diagonal components contribute to the derivative of , so its connection one-form is . A line-bundle connection has curvature , because a scalar one-form wedges with itself to zero. ThereforeTo see independence of the de Rham cohomology class, write , a globally defined endomorphism-valued one-form. The curvature difference formula and the same trace cancellations give the trace curvature transgressionTheir difference is globally an exact differential form, so their de Rham cohomology classes coincide.
For the Hermitian metric on a holomorphic vector bundle, use the displayed ordering of the local matrices and put . The identity givesThe plus sign comes from applying the graded Leibniz rule to the one-form . By the derivative formula for a determinant,The Hermitian positive-definite matrix has positive real determinant, so this logarithm is an ordinary smooth real function. The trace of Chern curvature in these conventions is thereforeIt is locally an exact differential form and in particular closed.
A holomorphic local frame change multiplies by . A nowhere-zero holomorphic function has a local holomorphic logarithm, so . Thus the preceding expression for is independent of the frame and glues globally. For two Hermitian metrics on a holomorphic vector bundle, the functionis globally defined because the frame-change factors cancel. Their two-forms differ by . Hence the class of is independent of the metric. The two-form is generally imaginary-valued; the metric independence statement is in complex de Rham cohomology, or equivalently for the real form .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2013 iii Paper 17 3 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-07
Use the normalization in which a Hodge metric is a Kähler metric whose Kähler form represents the image of an integral cohomology class in real de Rham cohomology. Equivalently, all its periods on integral two-cycles are integers. A convention using only rescales the metric and does not change existence. An invariant metric on a complex torus is one preserved by every translation; its pullback to has constant coefficients.
Let carry a Hodge metric. Average its Kähler form over translations using normalized Haar measure:This averaging Kähler forms over a complex torus preserves reality, type , closedness and positivity. Indeed, for any nonzero tangent vector, the quantity being averaged in is strictly positive. Every translation is homotopic to the identity, since a path from to supplies such a homotopy. Thus , as is seen either on de Rham cohomology or by integrating over two-cycles. The average is translation invariant by invariance of Haar measure and determines a Kähler metric . Its class is still integral. The reverse implication is immediate. Therefore a Hodge metric exists exactly when an invariant one does.
Here is the Riemann bilinear criterion for a period matrix, with the signs kept explicit. For the period matrix of a complex torus, use real coordinates along the lattice basis, so . An invariant real two-form isIts period on the coordinate two-torus is ; these tori generate integral second homology. Thus integrality of the class is exactly . Positivity of a Kähler form makes nonsingular. Because the lattice basis is a real basis of , the complex matrixis invertible: its rows recover the real and imaginary parts of the coordinates. In the coordinates , the matrix of the two-form is , whose inverse is .
The differential form of type (p, q) condition says that the two diagonal blocks of the form matrix vanish. Since the form is nonsingular, this is equivalent to the diagonal blocks of its inverse vanishing. Because is real, these inverse blocks vanish exactly whenSet . Skew-symmetry and reality of give , and the full inverse matrix isInverting these blocks identifies the two-form explicitly:For a vector with complex coordinate column , evaluation yields . Hence this two-form is positive exactly when is a Hermitian positive-definite matrix. This proves both directions: an invariant Hodge metric gives such an integral , and any such produces a constant positive real closed -form of integral periods. In particular,As a sign check, for and the last matrix is , and the associated form is .
For the specified two-dimensional complex torus, putThe real and imaginary period vectors are independent because , so they do form a full lattice. Suppose a polarization matrix existed. Its inverse is a rational skew-symmetric matrix, and hence has the block expressionThe first condition of the Riemann bilinear criterion for a period matrix becomesSeparating real and imaginary parts gives andThe matrices on both sides have rational entries except for the factor . Irrationality of therefore implies and . For a symmetric two-by-two matrix the latter expression is , so . The candidate Hermitian matrix is nowSince , is symmetric and traceless, and is skew-symmetric, and . Thus . A Hermitian positive-definite matrix has strictly positive eigenvalues, hence strictly positive trace. This contradiction proves
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2018 iii Paper 331 4 a v Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-05
For , the energy ratio is the Rayleigh quotient of the Hermitian positive-definite matrix :Expanding in the orthonormal right singular vectors makes this a weighted average of . HenceAny nonzero vector in the largest right-singular subspace is optimal if is repeated. Its amplified state is proportional to the paired left singular vector. For a non-normal matrix , this optimal initial direction need not be an eigenvector of , explaining transient growth from non-normal modes.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2022 ii Paper 1 41C b Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
Because is symmetric positive definite,Thus the only stationary point is , andThe final term is positive unless , proving that is the unique minimizer.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2023 ii Paper 2 41C a Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
For the two-periodic Fourier series, orthogonality of the exponential basis gives the Fourier coefficientwhere any interval of length two could replace .
Let for . Since is real,so and is a Hermitian matrix. For any nonzero ,The trigonometric polynomial in the modulus cannot vanish identically unless every vanishes. Since , the integral is strictly positive. Hence is Hermitian positive definite, which is the positive Fourier-symbol Toeplitz matrix result.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2023 ii Paper 2 41C c Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
The matrix from part (a) is Hermitian positive definite, while the real diagonal matrix is Hermitian. The stated product theorem, or similarityshows that every eigenvalue of is real. Hence every eigenvalue of is real; this is the real spectrum of a positive-Hermitian times Hermitian product.
Moreover, is invertible and has rank , so for the matrix has nonzero real eigenvalues. If is one of them, the corresponding mode of the semidiscrete equation has eigenvalue . The explicit Euler method has amplification factorfor every . Therefore the explicit Euler discretization is unstable, as in explicit Euler instability on a nonzero imaginary eigenvalue.