Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2016 iii Paper 309 3 b ii Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
On smooth functions, the Lie derivative of a function satisfiesOn an arbitrary vector field , the Lie derivative of a vector field givesThe middle equality follows from the Jacobi identity for the Lie bracket of vector fields. One can verify that identity without assuming the result being proved: view vector fields as derivations acting on smooth functions, expand their commutators, and cancel the six compositions. Equality as derivations implies equality as vector fields.
For the second identity, let be any operators on either smooth functions or vector fields. Associativity of composition givesEach term cancels in the sum. Applying this to , , proves both requested identities on both kinds of arguments:The commutator identity for Lie derivatives expresses that the Lie derivative of a tensor field represents the Lie bracket of vector fields.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2016 iii Paper 313 4 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
A Poisson bivector is a smooth antisymmetric contravariant two-tensorwhose bracket on smooth functions,satisfies the Jacobi identity. Bilinearity and antisymmetry are immediate, and the product rule makes the bracket a derivation in each argument. Together these properties define a Poisson manifold. Unlike a symplectic form, the Poisson bivector need not be nondegenerate.
Apply the Jacobi identity to the coordinate functions. Since ,Changing to and rearranging the three summands gives the printed coordinate Jacobi condition for a Poisson bivector:This is also sufficient: expanding the Jacobiator of three arbitrary smooth functions, all terms involving second derivatives cancel in pairs by antisymmetry. The remaining coefficient of is the coordinate-function Jacobiator displayed above.
For a Lie algebra, the natural global space carrying the proposed linear bracket is its dual space . If is the chosen basis, define its linear coordinate function by . The Lie-Poisson bracket iswhere are elements of . On a general manifold the same coordinate expression gives a local construction; a global one requires compatible transition rules. The use of supplies that compatibility intrinsically.
Here and . The left side of the coordinate Jacobi condition for a Poisson bivector is thereforeThe final coefficient is the negative of the coefficient of in the Lie algebra identity . Thus the Lie-Poisson bracket satisfies the Jacobi identity.
It remains to find the Lie algebra structure constants for the printed rotation fields. Distinguish their original spatial coordinates from the coordinates on the dual space. Use the conventional Lie bracket of vector fields. Their component vectors are , and , respectively. For example,Similarly,The negative sign is essential: these are the fundamental fields of a left rotation action with the stated Lie bracket of vector fields, and consequently have the infinitesimal left-action sign convention discussed above. The first field here has component , as printed in the PDF.
The Lie-Poisson bracket on the dual space consequently hasFor the evolution convention , the Hamiltonian function has derivatives . Substitution gives the quadratic rotational Lie-Poisson dynamicsThese are Euler-type Hamilton's equations on a noncanonical Poisson manifold. When , and with positive principal inertias, they are the Euler equations for a torque-free rigid body in body angular-momentum coordinates. As a check, is conserved by antisymmetry of the Poisson bracket, and is a Casimir function of a Poisson manifold. Direct differentiation of in the three equations cancels the terms . The Hamiltonian flow therefore lies on both an energy level and a sphere, a symplectic leaf of this signed rotational bracket.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 iii Paper 128 6 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-05
A derivation of an algebra is a -linear map satisfying . The commutator is again a derivation: expanding cancels the two mixed terms and leaves . The commutator on endomorphisms is bilinear, antisymmetric, and satisfies the Jacobi identity by cancellation of its twelve triple-composition terms. Therefore is a Lie algebra.
In degree zero of the Hochschild cochain complex, , so for commutative . In degree one, is precisely the derivation rule; the boundaries are inner derivations, which vanish for commutative . HenceFor cochains , , the Hochschild cup product isDefine the insertion operation byA degree-zero cochain is an element of , inserted with no arguments; for the sum is empty. For the Gerstenhaber bracket we use the left graded Leibniz rule convention, compatible with the unsigned Hochschild cup product just displayed:Both degree-zero inputs have bracket zero. Another common insertion convention writes ; the two brackets differ by . With an unsigned Hochschild cup product, that convention uses the corresponding right graded Leibniz rule. The distinction matters for a degree-two cochain bracketed with a function. Either consistent convention gives the same degree-one Lie bracket and the same derivation action on functions.
If , this convention gives . The shifted Jacobi identity and therefore show that the Gerstenhaber bracket respects Hochschild cocycles and the images of the coboundary map. The Hochschild cup product and Gerstenhaber bracket induce operations on Hochschild cohomology. A Gerstenhaber algebra is a graded algebra with an associative degree-zero product with the graded commutative algebra rule , and a degree-minus-one graded Lie bracket making the shifted degrees into a graded Lie algebra. In particular,for homogeneous elements of a graded algebra of degrees . The shifted Jacobi identity isThe Hochschild cup product does not make the cochains a graded commutative algebra in general, but does make their cohomology a graded commutative algebra; the insertion operation supplies the homotopy for this assertion and for the graded Leibniz rule. Thus these axioms describe the induced Gerstenhaber algebra, not a claim of a graded commutative algebra structure on the cochain multiplication itself.
For , the enveloping algebra is , andis a projective resolution. The first map is injective since is an integral domain, and its cokernel is . Applying gives a zero coboundary map. ConsequentlyThe Hochschild cup product is ordinary multiplication of functions and scalar multiplication of derivations, with the product of two derivations zero because . Every derivation is , since it is determined by its value on . The Gerstenhaber bracket iswith all other orders fixed by graded antisymmetry. These formulas fully determine the Gerstenhaber algebra.
For , the Hochschild-Kostant-Rosenberg theorem identifiesThus the degrees zero, one, and two are , , and , and all higher groups vanish. The Hochschild-Kostant-Rosenberg map sends a wedge of derivations to the cochainThe factorial is invertible in characteristic zero. Equivalently, the groups follow from the Koszul resolution on the regular sequence in , whose dual coboundary maps vanish on .
The Hochschild cup product becomes the exterior product, and our Gerstenhaber bracket becomes the left Schouten-Nijenhuis bracket. It is determined by the commutator of derivations, , zero brackets of functions, and the displayed graded antisymmetry and left graded Leibniz rule. For explicit signs, put and . ThenThe last bracket has degree three, whose exterior power is zero. For two derivations, the coefficient functions of their commutator give the remaining formula. This specifies the entire Gerstenhaber algebra; under the alternate insertion convention mentioned above, the first displayed bracket changes sign, together with the Leibniz convention. No smoothness of a general finitely generated commutative algebra was assumed: the Hochschild-Kostant-Rosenberg theorem is invoked here only for the smooth polynomial ring .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 iii Paper 131 1 a Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-05
Use the sign conventionFor the Levi-Civita connection this is the Riemannian curvature two-form, an element of : is an endomorphism of the tangent bundle, alternating in , and the expression has tensoriality in all arguments. It is the curvature form of a connection for the tangent-bundle connection.
For the first Bianchi identity, take the cyclic sum in . Torsion-freeness says , so the double-derivative terms combine to . The remaining terms may be cyclically relabelled as . Using torsion-freeness once more, followed by the Jacobi identity for vector fields, givesThe Ricci curvature is the tracefor any orthonormal basis. The sectional curvature of the two-plane spanned by independent isThese conventions give positive curvature on a round sphere. In dimension three, put and . Curvature symmetries giveSolving this linear system yields the sectional curvatures from Ricci curvature in dimension three formulaHere is the scalar curvature. The chosen orthonormal basis need not diagonalize Ricci; its diagonal evaluations already determine these three sectional curvatures.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 iii Paper 302 4 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-05
Use the real Lie-algebra convention of the question, with a gauge covariant derivative . The gauge field strength is its curvature:Write . To first order in ,Substitute . The mixed second derivatives of cancel. The terms containing first derivatives of cancel in pairs. The remaining terms areThe Jacobi identity combines the last two into . ConsequentlyThe transformation is homogeneous even though the connection transformation contains an inhomogeneous derivative term.
For a finite-dimensional Lie algebra, define its Adjoint representation by and its Killing form byIt is a symmetric bilinear form by cyclicity of the trace. The Jacobi identity gives . Set , , . ThenThis proves the invariant bilinear form on a Lie algebra property, without assuming simplicity or nondegeneracy.
For definiteness use the Minkowski metric and take a real compact semisimple Lie algebra as the gauge algebra. Its positive internal metric is . A Killing-form Yang-Mills Lagrangian with the coupling absorbed into the connection isThe spacetime metric is unchanged by internal gauge transformations. HenceThus gauge invariance follows directly from invariance of the Killing form. Other overall conventions are possible, but the energy sign must be checked rather than inferred from a prefactor in isolation.
For physical kinetic terms the internal form must be real, nondegenerate and positive definite after choosing the overall sign. If and , the above convention has Lagrangian and physical energy densityThe canonical Hamiltonian density also contains the nondynamical multiplier and a spatial divergence. With and , integration by parts using the invariant bilinear form on a Lie algebra givesThe Gauss law constraint in gauge theory sets . If the boundary flux vanishes, or the appropriate boundary contribution is included, the integrated physical Hamiltonian is the positive energy displayed above.
An indefinite internal form would give gauge-field polarizations with opposite kinetic signs. A degenerate form would fail to supply a kinetic term for some directions. The compactness criterion from the Killing form says that negative-definiteness of the Killing form of a real finite-dimensional algebra is equivalent to compact semisimplicity; thus the pure Killing-form construction selects compact semisimple real forms. One cannot use a complex-bilinear Killing form on arbitrary complex field components as if it were a positive Hermitian metric.
This does not prohibit Abelian gauge theories. A compact Abelian factor has zero Killing form, so it needs a separately chosen positive invariant bilinear form on a Lie algebra, rather than the Killing form. More generally an algebra with a positive invariant metric on a Lie algebra is compact reductive, namely a direct sum of a compact semisimple algebra and an Abelian center. A noncompact group can also share the same compact Lie algebra through global covering choices in an Abelian factor; positivity is a statement about the algebra and internal metric, not by itself a classification of global gauge-group topology. Quantum matter anomalies and global restrictions would require additional input; no matter content is specified here.
For the finite matrix transformation, let and regard as a multiplication operator. The identity givesTaking commutators of these differential operators cancels the adjacent multiplication operators , yieldingThis argument keeps the derivatives acting on test fields and avoids treating as just a matrix.
There is a normalization issue in the printed last paragraph. The standard Killing form defined through the adjoint trace on isnot simply . For example, with and , the defining trace is , whereas the adjoint trace is . The printed trace formula can be used as a rescaled invariant form, with the constant absorbed into the gauge coupling; it has exactly the invariance needed here. For either normalization,by cyclicity. This proves finite Yang-Mills gauge transformation invariance, with the healthy sign chosen for anti-Hermitian gauge fields. The normalization discrepancy is not a failure of gauge invariance.
Finally let . Since is traceless and skew-Hermitian, this exponential lies in . Expanding the finite formula givesThus the stated infinitesimal transformation is the derivative of the finite transformation at the identity. It describes transformations in the identity component; arbitrary global or large gauge transformations need not be generated by one globally defined infinitesimal parameter.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 ii Paper 1 31A Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-05
A Lie point symmetry is a local one-parameter family of diffeomorphisms of that takes solution graphs of the differential equation to solution graphs wherever the transformed graph remains a graph over time. Its infinitesimal generator is . Its first prolongation isFor a regular first-order equation the infinitesimal criterion is on ; it says that the prolonged vector field is tangent to the equation submanifold.
With the constant nondegenerate canonical matrix , define the Poisson bracket by and the Hamiltonian vector field by . Our convention gives . Applying the Jacobi identity to a test function ,soA first integral obeys . Consequently , and the local flows commute. The time-independent transformation generated by , with unchanged, therefore maps integral curves of a vector field for to integral curves of a vector field: it is a Lie point symmetry.
Conversely, such a time-independent symmetry gives , hence . Nondegeneracy of makes constant on each connected component. At a fixed point , implies , so that constant is zero on its component. Thus the converse holds on a connected phase space containing a fixed point, or on each component that contains one.
The printed global converse needs this connectedness convention: a fixed point on one component does not control the constants on other components. For example take one component with , , and another with , . The Hamiltonian vector fields commute everywhere and there is a fixed point on the first component, but is not a first integral on the second. Even on a connected space the fixed-point condition matters: , commute but .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2018 iii Paper 302 2 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-05
Work over or , in finite dimension and characteristic zero. The Killing form of a Lie algebra is the trace form of its Adjoint representation:It is bilinear and symmetric by the cyclic property of the trace. It is an invariant bilinear form on a Lie algebra, since the Jacobi identity gives and henceEquivalently, . A Lie algebra automorphism preserves the form, because it conjugates the adjoint matrices. Its radical of a bilinear form is an ideal of a Lie algebra by invariance. The center of a Lie algebra lies in this radical, so the form vanishes for an abelian algebra. On a direct sum of ideals the summands are orthogonal and the form restricts to their own Killing forms.
A short argument proves the requested implication without assuming the Cartan criterion for semisimplicity. Let be an abelian ideal of a Lie algebra, , and . The map takes into and vanishes on , while preserves . Therefore has image in and is zero on . In a basis extending a basis of , both diagonal blocks are zero, so its trace vanishes. This proves that abelian ideals lie in the radical of the Killing form.
If the solvable radical were nonzero, its derived series of a Lie algebra would have a last nonzero term . The Jacobi identity makes every derived term an ideal of , and the last one is abelian. Thus , contradicting nondegeneracy. We obtainThe converse holds as well in characteristic zero; together these implications are the Cartan criterion for semisimplicity.
For a complex simple Lie algebra, that criterion gives nondegeneracy on . Let be a Cartan subalgebra. Use the standard root-space decompositionFor and a root vector , choose with . Invariance givesThus is orthogonal to every nonzero root space. If is also orthogonal to , it is orthogonal to all of and hence is zero. This establishes nondegeneracy of the Killing form on a Cartan subalgebra:The same invariance calculation shows that unless . Opposite root spaces are therefore paired nondegenerately. Tracing the adjoint action on the root-space decomposition yieldssince the root spaces of a complex semisimple algebra are one-dimensional and its adjoint action on is zero.
The relevant Euclidean subspace of a Cartan subalgebra iswhere the are the simple coroots, normalized by . The standard Euclidean property is that is real and positive definite on this space. The displayed trace formula explains it: is a sum of real squares, and the roots span , so all squares vanish only for . Via the nondegenerate form, the roots can consequently be regarded as vectors in a real Euclidean normed vector space. The induced dual inner product makes root reflections orthogonal and allows root lengths and angles to be encoded by Cartan integers and the Dynkin diagram.
This positivity is on a specified real subspace; the complex Killing form is a bilinear form, not a positive Hermitian inner product. On a compact real form the Killing form is instead negative definite. For example the Killing form of the special linear Lie algebra gives for , so but .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2018 iii Paper 306 3 b Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-05
The Jacobi identity for the Poisson bracket impliesFor first-class constraints with linearly independent differentials this gives , the Jacobi identity for the structure constants of the constraint algebra. Independence is an implicit assumption: for constraints obeying identities or vanishing identically, only the contracted identity follows, and arbitrary coefficients multiplying such constraints need not satisfy a Lie algebra identity.
With and , the canonical variables transform asTo fix the sign convention, vary the phase-space action directly:Thus action invariance requires . For , the Faddeev-Popov determinant is that ofUsing anticommuting Faddeev-Popov ghost fields, the invariant-convention result isThe original PDF has a sign error in the stated multiplier transformation; the TeX transcription has the consistent plus sign. Keeping the PDF's displayed minus sign mechanically would instead give . That expression exponentiates the determinant of the printed transformation, but that transformation does not preserve the stated action with the canonical convention above. It cannot be used as the invariant result without changing another convention consistently.
As for the particle, constant multiplier moduli and any residual zero mode in field theory must be handled separately; the constant gauge fixing is understood locally on the gauge orbit.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2019 iii Paper 102 1 a Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-05
An ideal of a Lie algebra is a vector subspace such that . The derived series of a Lie algebra is defined by and .
Suppose that is an ideal and , . The Jacobi identity givesBoth terms on the right lie in , because . Thus is again an ideal. Starting from the ideal and applying this observation inductively proves that every term of the derived series is an ideal of .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2019 iii Paper 115 3 Solution 2026-10-03
A Lie group is a group and smooth manifold whose multiplication and inversion are smooth. A Lie algebra is a vector space with a bilinear alternating bracket satisfying the Jacobi identity. For a Matrix Lie group , a logarithmic chart of a matrix Lie group near sends to ; the matrix exponential is its local inverse, and the Baker--Campbell--Hausdorff formula makes the local group operations smooth.
For , consider the group commutatorIts logarithm takes values in the vector space , and expansion at givesThus is closed under the commutator. Bilinearity, alternation, and the Jacobi identity follow from matrix multiplication, so this proves that the Lie algebra of a matrix Lie group has
A principal bundle with structure group is a smooth fiber bundle with a free right -action, each fiber a single orbit, and equivariant local trivializations .
For the right action of the unitary group on , defineThe matrix is a positive-definite matrix and a Hermitian matrix, and for . The polar decomposition of an invertible complex matrix gives the unique factorizationConsequentlyis a diffeomorphism. If is a neighborhood of zero and , then is an open neighborhood of , it is a union of complete orbits, andMoreover, two matrices have the same value of exactly when they differ by right multiplication by a unitary matrix. Thus induces the smooth identificationunder which is projection . This is the general linear group modulo the unitary group, and is in fact a globally trivial principal -bundle.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2019 iii Paper 145 2 Solution 2026-10-03
For a separated filtered group defineThe associated graded Lie algebra of a filtered group isEach quotient is abelian because . If and , setThe standard commutator identities and prove well-defined bilinearity, while the Hall-Witt identity gives the Jacobi identity. If , this bracket has nonzero initial form, so the graded Lie algebra is nonabelian.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2019 iii Paper 302 1 Solution 2026-10-03
A Lie group is a group that is also a smooth manifold, with differentiable multiplication and inversion. A Lie algebra is a vector space with a bilinear alternating Lie bracket satisfying the Jacobi identity.
For a Matrix Lie group , put . If , the matrix commutator again lies in : the group commutator lies in , and the coefficient of in its matrix logarithm is . Bilinearity and antisymmetry are immediate, while associativity of matrix multiplication gives the Jacobi identity. Thus , with the commutator bracket, is the Lie algebra of a matrix Lie group .
The special linear group is the inverse image of the regular value under the smooth determinant map, and multiplication and inversion are smooth. Differentiating shows thatThe Cayley-Hamilton theorem applied to a trace-zero two-by-two matrix gives
The exponential map of a matrix Lie group is the matrix exponentialSince , its image lies in . Put . The identity sums the series explicitly. If , with ,If , the trace is , while if , with ,HenceBut has trace . It is therefore outside the image, so the exponential map is not surjective.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2019 iii Paper 309 4 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-05
For the torsion-free Levi-Civita connection, cyclically summing the displayed coordinate expression and using gives the algebraic first Bianchi identityApply the Jacobi identity to three covariant-derivative commutators, or differentiate the coordinate formula in normal coordinates. The third-derivative terms and the derivatives of quadratic connection terms cancel cyclically, giving the differential second Bianchi identityContracting the first and third curvature indices and then contracting once more yieldsor the contracted Bianchi identity
For the metric variation ,while the two double-divergence terms in the supplied metric variation of scalar curvature become a boundary term after integration by parts for tensor fields. The Einstein-Hilbert action therefore contributes . Varying the Proca action with respect to the metric gives the Proca stress-energy tensor, and the full Einstein-Proca theory equation is
Since , variation with respect to and one integration by parts give the covariant Proca equationTaking its covariant divergence givesbecause the resulting contractions pair the symmetric Ricci tensor with the antisymmetric electromagnetic field tensor. Since , the Lorenz constraint in Proca theory follows:Moreover, and , so the Electromagnetic Bianchi identity is
Finally, use that identity to differentiate the matter tensor. The result groups naturally asBoth terms vanish by the Proca equation and its Lorenz constraint in Proca theory. Thus , exactly as required by the contracted Bianchi identity applied to the Einstein field equations. The vector equation is therefore consistent with the gravitational equation.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2021 iii Paper 115 4 b Solution 2026-09-28
The Lie bracket of vector fields is bilinear, alternating, satisfies the Jacobi identity, and is natural under diffeomorphisms. Therefore the bracket of two left-invariant vector fields is left-invariant. DefineThenand the inherited bilinearity, alternation, and Jacobi identity make a Lie algebra.