Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2005 iii Paper 63 3 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
Differentiate the product with the first factor close to the identity. A small displacement of its coordinate adds to ; a small displacement adds to ; and a small displacement changes by times that displacement. The infinitesimal left actions therefore give the right-invariant vector fieldsFor right multiplication, regard as the fixed point and the second factor as infinitesimal. Its displacements are ; relabeling the coordinates of the fixed point gives the left-invariant vector fieldsThe naming distinction matters: generators of left multiplication are right invariant, whereas generators of right multiplication are left invariant.
All mixed Lie brackets of vector fields vanish. For example, cancels in , and cancels in . The brackets with are zero because the coefficients of the have no or dependence; because the coefficients of have no dependence. HenceConceptually, the corresponding flows commute because , by associativity of the Lie group multiplication.
The dual coframe iswhich satisfies . Under left multiplication by , the transformed coordinates are , , . Therefore , , and . Each one-form is a left-invariant differential form, so their sum of squares is the left-invariant metricThis is the standard metric of the Sol Lie group. As a sign check, , , while and , in agreement with the Maurer-Cartan equation.