Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 iii Paper 311 3 c Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
For the zero-angular-momentum curves, the fiber term in the induced metric tensor vanishes along the tangent, leavingfor a null geodesic. In the exterior, a future geodesic has positive conserved energy . Its equations areDefine the tortoise coordinate, separately on intervals bounded by horizon radii, byFor an outgoing curve ,for an ingoing curve , . Thus and are the respective constant labels. The derivative , with its sign, is required for continuation; taking would give the wrong labels between the horizons.
For a nonextremal horizon , the tortoise coordinate has leading behaviorAt the double root of the extremal black hole it instead has a pole. These singularities are coordinate effects at a regular Killing horizon; they are not the curvature singularity at . To cross the future horizon, the ingoing coordinatesgive the regular induced metric tensorThis also fixes the future branch used in the causal argument below.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 iii Paper 311 3 d Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
Relative to a chosen asymptotically flat end, define the black hole region bywhere is that end's future null infinity in a conformal completion. It consists of events unable to send a future causal signal to that infinity; its boundary is the corresponding future event horizon.
For , and on . The gradient of has norm , so it is timelike there. Use the future extension regular in the ingoing coordinates above, reached by an exterior future ingoing null geodesic with . This determines to be future timelike in the inter-horizon block. Every nonzero future causal tangent therefore obeysAt the future outer horizon the gradient becomes future null and gives the corresponding one-way inequality . No future signal can cross that horizon outward to the selected exterior. The future inter-horizon block is consequently within ; a future-directed path can leave it only through the inner horizon, not return through the outer horizon to the selected infinity.
This statement requires a branch and an end. The maximal extension also contains time-reversed inter-horizon blocks, where future-directed curves have increasing and emerge into an exterior: they are white holes, not the selected black hole region. Thus the unqualified claim for every copy of in an arbitrary extension is false. Analytic continuation past a Cauchy horizon can also introduce other asymptotic ends; the displayed definition explicitly refers to the chosen component of infinity.
To sketch the causal structure, suppress the spacelike circle by its orbit-space projection. The induced three-dimensional metric tensor isThe causal projection along a spacelike circular fiber is exact: any causal curve projects to a -causal curve, and every base curve has a lift with exactly its base norm. The diagrams therefore represent this two-dimensional orbit space, not a constant- slice of the three-dimensional submanifold.
There are three nonextremal block types. For , spans the full real line from the outer horizon to infinity, producing an exterior diamond. For , spans the full line with the time and space roles reversed; these diamonds contain the future black-hole or past white-hole branches. For , is finite at zero and diverges at the inner horizon, producing a static half-diamond with a timelike singular edge. The supplied Kretschmann scalar diverges as at , and on the inner side, so that edge is a genuine timelike curvature singularity. In contrast, both horizon radii are regular in horizon-adapted coordinates.
The finite strip shows two exterior levels, a future trapped block, an inner static level with timelike singularities, and the next emerging block. Continuing through the inner Cauchy horizons repeats this pattern upward and downward in the maximal analytic extension. The inner boundary is not a spacelike Schwarzschild-type singularity. Such an ideal extension need not describe a physical collapse past its unstable inner horizon.
At , put . Then , , and the interval is empty. The lapse is positive on both sides, so there is no inter-horizon trapped diamond. The horizon is a degenerate Killing horizon, with . In the exterior as , while inside as ; more precisely its leading pole is . Static proper distance to the horizon is infinite. Future ingoing rays still cross it at finite affine parameter, as the regular ingoing metric tensor shows.
Extremal conformal blocks and horizon gluing
. The extremal sketch gives the exterior diamond and singular interior half-diamond, with the complete gluing prescription: the exterior future horizon attaches to the interior past horizon; the interior future horizon attaches to the past horizon of another exterior. Repeating these attachments gives the maximal extension. The marked throat endpoints are conformal ideal endpoints, not bifurcation points of the spacetime. This block representation avoids incorrectly treating the extremal geometry as two transverse horizons with a collapsed trapped region.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 ii Paper 2 35D a Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-05
For , put . The spatial metric tensor becomesThe global closed spatial slice is a 3-sphere with ; the original chart covers only a hemisphere, so two charts are needed. A circle at fixed in an equatorial angular plane has circumference . The full spatial volume isIntegrating a single chart without its second copy would give only half this volume.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 ii Paper 3 36D i Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-05
At , choose local normal coordinates with . Let be their coordinate basis. The vectors and have zero metric tensor square, and their component matrix has determinant . Thus two independent null vectors form a basis of the tangent space. Normal coordinates are only needed at the chosen point, not on a whole neighbourhood with flat metric.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 ii Paper 3 36D iv Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-05
In Minkowski spacetime with metric , takeIts tangent vector is , with metric tensor square . Its acceleration is , nonzero and not proportional to the tangent because its time component is zero. Thus it is a regular null curve which is not a geodesic under any reparametrization.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2018 iii Paper 306 1 iii Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-05
In conformal gauge, . The Weyl invariance of the Polyakov action removes , leavingIts complete variation isFix the string embedding map on the initial and final time slices. The interior Euler-Lagrange field equation is the wave equationAt each spatial endpoint the remaining variation vanishes under either Dirichlet boundary conditions, , or Neumann boundary conditions, , independently for each target-space component. Thus a fixed endpoint or a free endpoint makes the boundary contribution vanish. Fixing a spatial point throughout time imposes Dirichlet boundary conditions on its spatial coordinates, while the time coordinate may retain Neumann boundary conditions.
The independent metric tensor equation must also be retained after gauge fixing. Its Virasoro constraints areTogether with the wave equation, these ensure equivalence to the Nambu–Goto action; varying only the already fixed metric would lose these Virasoro constraints.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2018 iii Paper 306 1 ii Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-05
The canonical momentum equation is . Eliminating from the phase-space action yields the Lagrangian densityThis is the Polyakov action after identifying its inverse metric tensor density asThe determinant of this matrix is , as required in two dimensions. The Weyl transformation leaves the matrix unchanged, so encode the metric modulo its conformal factor.
Define the induced worldsheet metric by . Varying the independent inverse metric tensor in the Polyakov action givesConsequently , where . For a nondegenerate Lorentzian string worldsheet with the usual compatible time orientation, take , or . The undetermined function is precisely Weyl invariance. Since , elimination of the independent metric tensor givesThus the Nambu–Goto action measures minus string tension times Lorentzian worldsheet area. The metric elimination holds in the nondegenerate interior; null endpoints are understood as boundary limits.
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 2024 iii Paper 309 2 a Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
For any vector field , apply the Leibniz rule to the scalar :Using and expanding the Lie bracket in a coordinate chart leavesThe connection terms cancel because the Levi-Civita connection is torsion-free. Applying this formula to each slot of the metric tensor and using metric compatibility givesEquivalently, one may prove both identities at a point in normal coordinates; since both sides are tensors, the result then holds in every coordinate system.
Pseudo-Riemannian manifold 2026-10-06
A pseudo-Riemannian manifold is a smooth manifold with a smooth metric tensor that is a nondegenerate bilinear form on each tangent space. Positivity is not required. A Riemannian manifold is the positive-definite case, while a Lorentzian manifold has exactly one temporal direction in its metric signature.
Spacelike submanifold 2026-10-06
In metric signature , a spacelike submanifold of a Lorentzian manifold has an induced metric tensor defining a positive-definite quadratic form. With the overall reversed metric signature, its induced metric tensor instead has only negative eigenvalues. The definition applies to any dimension: enclosing charge-integration surfaces in four dimensions are two-dimensional examples, whereas a spacelike Cauchy hypersurface in four dimensions is three-dimensional.
With signature and , the spatial projection tensor is . Projecting the spacetime metric tensor gives , which is negative definite on spatial vectors. The positive spatial induced metric is . A plus sign in belongs to a different normal/signature convention and is not transverse in this one. Fully projected covariant derivatives of either spatial metric vanish by metric compatibility.
Totally geodesic submanifold 2026-10-06
For a nondegenerate induced metric tensor, a totally geodesic submanifold has vanishing second fundamental form; equivalently, every ambient geodesic initially tangent to it remains in it. This extends the notion of a totally geodesic hypersurface to arbitrary codimension.
Weyl transformation Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-03
A Weyl transformation rescales the worldsheet metric locally, , without changing . The classical Polyakov action is Weyl invariant.
Worldline einbein Created 2026-10-05 Updated 2026-10-06
An einbein specifies a one-dimensional metric tensor along a worldline. In the relativistic particle phase-space action it is the Lagrange multiplier for the mass-shell condition and transforms as under the corresponding canonical gauge transformation. After eliminating the momentum, its geometric interpretation depends on the normalization of the particle action.

