For a Lie subalgebra , its defining representation is its given action on the vector space . The Lie bracket identity verifies the representation property. For the special linear Lie algebra, diagonal trace-zero matrices have coordinate weights of a representation on the standard basis; for a Special orthogonal Lie algebra, the same action preserves the defining symmetric bilinear form.
Dn root system 2026-10-14
For the complexified Special orthogonal Lie algebra , , choose positive roots of a root system and for . Its Weyl vector is . Dominant coordinates satisfy . The Weyl dimension formula becomes . The case is two independent A1 root systems, while is isomorphic to the A3 root system.
Exceptional isomorphism between sp4 and so5 Created 2026-10-05 Updated 2026-10-06
Over , the symplectic Lie algebra on a four-dimensional symplectic vector space acts faithfully on its five-dimensional primitive exterior square, preserving its symmetric bilinear form. Faithfulness follows because an operator killing all wedges has all off-diagonal coefficients zero and satisfies for every pair, hence is zero. The source and target Lie algebras both have dimension ten, so this faithful map is an isomorphism to the Special orthogonal Lie algebra .
For a real inner product space , the displayed map identifies with its Special orthogonal Lie algebra. It sends a wedge of distinct orthonormal basis vectors to the corresponding elementary skew-symmetric matrix, so it is an isomorphism. For an orthogonal transformation , invariance of the inner product gives . Thus the exterior square of the defining representation is the Adjoint representation of the orthogonal group. Complexification identifies their weight spaces, allowing the root system to be read from the exterior-square weights and the zero-weight multiplicity.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2001 iii Paper 5 2 a Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
The complex Special orthogonal Lie algebra consists of endomorphisms preserving a nondegenerate symmetric bilinear form infinitesimally:In an orthonormal basis this is , with the commutator bracket and dimension . Its compact real form is obtained by taking real skew-symmetric matrices. For diagonal root calculations it is more convenient to use an isotropic basis with , including .
A maximal torus of the complex special orthogonal group isIts Lie algebra is the Cartan subalgebraIn the compact real form the corresponding torus consists of independent rotations in two orthogonal coordinate planes, fixing the remaining direction. Define for , and , .
Writing for the matrix unit in the isotropic basis, lies in and satisfiesThus the nonzero root spaces are one-dimensional and the root-space decomposition isExplicit generators for four positive root spaces areThe transposes of these matrices generate the negative root spaces. Each transpose still satisfies the bilinear-form condition and reverses the displayed diagonal weight. These eight root vectors and the two independent Cartan matrices exhaust the dimension ten; a matrix commuting with every is diagonal and the form condition makes it lie in . This also proves that the torus has maximal dimension.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2002 iii Paper 18 4 b Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
For a real inner product space , defineThis map takes values in the Special orthogonal Lie algebra: its matrices are skew-symmetric. It sends to , so it is an isomorphism between the two ten-dimensional spaces. For , invariance of the inner product givesThis proves the exterior square realization of the orthogonal adjoint representation, including equivariance, rather than merely matching dimensions.
After complexification, part (a) is therefore the weight decomposition of the Adjoint representation. Its zero weight space is the complex centralizer of . The two zero-weight wedges are nonzero multiples of and , which map under to the two infinitesimal rotation generators of . HenceIf a larger torus contained , its Lie algebra would commute with and therefore lie in . Equality of Lie algebras and connectedness of both tori force equality of the groups. Thus is a maximal torus.
Let denote the real coordinate functional . In the real weight convention, with the common factor removed from the differentiated torus weights, the root system isThese are the roots of a root system of type B2 root system. In the imaginary-valued compact Lie-algebra convention each displayed functional is multiplied by . Every root space is one-dimensional, as part (a) explicitly shows.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2004 iii Paper 3 2 a Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
Put and let denote a matrix unit. The antidiagonal matrix satisfies , so the orthogonal condition is , or entrywise . Consequently the diagonal Cartan subalgebra isWe first take . Since , the matrix root basis of the even orthogonal Lie algebra givesThe zero weight space is ; its basis is . No vector of weight occurs, because the corresponding matrix unit is forced to be its own negative. These spaces account for dimensions, exhausting the Special orthogonal Lie algebra. Thus its decomposition as a -module and its Dn root system areEach nonzero root space has dimension one; the zero weight has multiplicity .
The upper triangular root spaces are precisely those of weights and with . ThereforeThese roots form the simple roots. To check that they generate the chosen positive system with nonnegative coefficients, write . For ,and for use . Empty sums are zero. Their linear independence and these expansions identify the base of the root system.
Equip the real span of the roots in with the inner product making the orthonormal. All roots then have squared length two. The coroots of are , so the fundamental weights of Dn, characterized by , areTaking their pairings with and verifies the defining identities directly. For each pair , the sum of its two positive roots is . Hence the half-sum of positive roots is
The Dynkin diagram has a chain ending at , which is joined to both and . Every edge is a single bond because the root lengths agree; the nonzero off-diagonal simple-root pairings are minus one. The labelled Dn Dynkin diagram and its low-rank versions are shown below.
Labelled D-type Dynkin diagrams, including the low-rank cases
. Details. For , and are orthogonal, giving two disconnected A1 root systems. For , the diagram is the chain , of type A3 root system; the displayed weight formulas still apply. If is allowed, is one-dimensional and abelian: there are no roots or fundamental weights, and .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2007 iii Paper 4 2 i Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
Put and . A Cartan subalgebra isThe defining matrix condition says . Using the matrix units, the nonzero root spaces have the following generators:Commuting each generator with gives its stated weight. Together with , these matrices span the Special orthogonal Lie algebra; there are independent generators. Thus its decomposition as a Cartan subalgebra module isThis is the Bn root system. The upper-triangular generators select the positive rootsIts simple roots and highest root, for , areTo see the simplicity assertion, , while and . The coefficient pattern for dominates those of every positive root.
Normalize the inner product so the are orthonormal. The simple coroots are for and . Solving gives the fundamental weightsIn the half-sum of positive roots, the coordinate occurs with total coefficient . Hence the Weyl vector is
The Dynkin diagram is a chain , with single bonds up to and a double last bond pointing towards the short root . In the Extended Dynkin diagram, add . For , and its inner product with every other simple root is zero, so it attaches to by a single bond. For , both long nodes attach by double bonds to short node . These rules give the Bn Dynkin diagram and affine extension drawn below.
For rank one, , , , and . The finite diagram is one node; its affine extension has two equal-length nodes joined by a double bond, without a short-root arrow.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2008 iii Paper 3 3 ii Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
The diagonal Cartan subalgebra isPut and ; then , and on . For the matrix unit , . Applying this to the general matrix in part (i) gives the following one-dimensional root spaces and chosen root vectors:Each row satisfies and belongs to the Special orthogonal Lie algebra. The two diagonal parameters and eight root vectors span the ten-parameter matrix from part (i), giving the explicit root-space decompositionThis is the B2 root system, with short roots on the coordinate axes and long roots on the diagonals.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2008 iii Paper 3 3 i Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
Preserving the symmetric bilinear form infinitesimally means . In blocks of sizes , write as a general block matrix and multiply by the given . The condition says that is skew-symmetric. It forces the lower-right entry to be zero, the middle diagonal block to be the negative transpose of the upper-left block, and the two off-diagonal two-by-two blocks to be skew-symmetric. Thus the general element of the Special orthogonal Lie algebra iswhere is an arbitrary two-by-two matrix and are arbitrary two-component columns. More explicitly, using ten independent complex parameters,Conversely, substituting this matrix into gives zero, so there are no further restrictions. In particular .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2010 iii Paper 44 2 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
Use the free-boson operator product expansionWrite and . The needed Wick contractions are and . For , the cross double contraction in the worldsheet stress tensor has a cubic pole: either of its two derivatives can contract with the derivative in , while the other contracts with . Including the factor givesA primary operator has no cubic pole. Hence the first vertex is primary precisely whenThe antiholomorphic conformal weight is . Primarity alone puts no mass-shell condition on .
For , the holomorphic cubic pole is . The antiholomorphic operator product expansion gives the analogous pole involving . Thus the transversality of derivative-exponential primary vertices requiresThere is no trace-free requirement for primarity. A physical integrated string vertex operator must additionally have conformal weights ; for this vertex that gives .
Now keep the fermionic signs in the real chiral Majorana fermion calculation. Contracting the external through givesMultiplying by and Taylor expanding at producesThis proves that is a primary operator with weight . To find the central charge, in the two double-contraction pairings contribute, before the overall factor ,The single Wick contractions give , soComparing the leading term with proves , as in the free chiral Majorana fermion conformal field theory.
With four embedding bosons and the ordinary reparameterization bc ghost system, cancellation of the worldsheet Weyl anomaly in each chirality requiresThus there are 44 real left-moving and 44 real right-moving fermions, equivalently 44 two-dimensional nonchiral Majorana fermions. These are internal free fermions in a four-dimensional bosonic string. Adding internal matter to the bosonic string does not introduce local worldsheet supersymmetry or its superghosts.
For the requested polynomial string vertex operators, work in the unprojected Neveu–Schwarz sector. A full model also chooses spin structures and a consistent projection, which the central-charge condition alone does not specify. If the holomorphic and antiholomorphic oscillator contributions to the conformal weights are , physicality requiresTherefore only equal levels at most one can contribute to the requested nonpositive bosonic string mass spectrum.
With zero fermion insertions, level zero gives the tachyon vertex operator , a scalar with . Level one gives the massless closed-string vertex operator , with the transverse conditions above and the string-state gauge redundancy that removes longitudinal polarizations. The physical transverse polarization tensor decomposes into a symmetric trace-free graviton, an antisymmetric Kalb–Ramond field, and a scalar dilaton. In four spacetime dimensions these have respectively two, one, and one physical polarizations; the two-form can be dualized to a scalar.
With two fermion insertions there are two possibilities. One fermion in each chirality givesThese are scalar tachyons before any projection. There is no spacetime derivative or spacetime polarization to impose a vector transversality condition.
Two different fermions in the same chirality form an antisymmetric fermion bilinear, a weight-one current ; equal-species undifferentiated bilinears vanish. Closed-string level matching then requires a weight-one bosonic derivative in the opposite chirality. The resulting string vertex operators areThey have and are gauge vectors, with and , and likewise for . Each chirality supplies gauge vectors. The fermion bilinears generate the two current algebras associated with the Special orthogonal Lie algebra, giving the unprojected gauge group . The tempting vertex alone fails closed-string level matching because its weights are before the common momentum contribution. Additional derivatives raise the levels above the nonpositive-mass range; a product of a left and a right bilinear has four fermion insertions and is outside this requested sector. This completes the zero- and two-fermion vertices of an internally fermionized bosonic string; a specified global projection can remove some of the listed states.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2015 iii Paper 17 2 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
A vector field is a smooth section of the tangent bundle. It differentiates smooth functions by . Define the Lie bracket of vector fields intrinsically byExpanding this expression on a product shows that the two mixed terms cancel, giving . It is therefore a derivation, hence a vector field. In local coordinates,Its coefficients are smooth. The intrinsic definition depends on no chart, which proves coordinate independence of this formula and defines the bracket on the whole manifold.
For a Lie group , let be Left translation on a Lie group. A left-invariant vector field satisfies for every . Evaluation is linear and injective, since . Conversely any gives a smooth left-invariant vector field . Smoothness follows from smooth multiplication and its differential. ThusFor any diffeomorphism , the intrinsic bracket identity on functions gives . Applying this naturality of the Lie bracket to proves that the bracket of two left-invariant vector fields remains left invariant. Evaluation at therefore defines the Lie algebra bracket on .
For the special orthogonal group, differentiation of at gives , so its tangent space is contained in the skew-symmetric matrices. Conversely, for any such , the matrix exponential satisfies and lies in the determinant-one component, because and its determinant varies continuously in . Its initial derivative is , provingFor matrices, . Extend these fields to the open matrix group , where the differential of in direction is . HenceRestriction to the embedded special orthogonal group preserves this bracket because the fields are tangent. Evaluating at gives , the required bracket on the Special orthogonal Lie algebra. The commutator is again skew symmetric. This calculation is differentiating left-invariant matrix fields; reversing the order of the two differentials would give the wrong sign.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2016 iii Paper 102 6 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
A smooth vector field on a smooth manifold is a smooth section of the tangent bundle: it assigns to each , smoothly in local coordinates. In a coordinate chart it has the form , with smooth coefficients . Equivalently, it acts on smooth functions as a derivation, .
For a Lie group , write for Left translation on a Lie group. A left-invariant vector field satisfiesThus it is determined by its value at the identity. Given the printed , first translate it to the identity:The unique left-invariant vector field with value at isThe smoothness of multiplication makes this a smooth vector field, the chain rule proves left invariance, and setting gives .
We prove the completeness of left-invariant vector fields: this left-invariant vector field is a complete vector field. The Picard-Lindelöf theorem, applied in a local chart, gives a unique local integral curve of a vector field through . For every , the curve is an integral curve of a vector field through , becauseCrucially, the same interval works for every initial point.
Let be the maximal integral curve of a vector field through , with maximal interval . If , choose with . The curveexists on and agrees with on the overlap by uniqueness of the local ordinary differential equation. It extends past , a contradiction. The same argument at a finite excludes that possibility. Thus , and uniqueness on overlapping intervals gives uniqueness on all of .
After establishing completeness, uniqueness also gives the one-parameter subgroup law for the global curve through :Both sides, as curves in , are integral curves of a vector field through at . Defining the Exponential map of a Lie group by , the answer is
The identity component is an open normal subgroup, and every open identity neighbourhood generates it. Let be the connected component of . The product of connected spaces is connected, so the image of under multiplication is connected and contains . It is therefore contained in . Inversion has the same property. Thus is a subgroup.
A smooth manifold is locally connected. In particular, a coordinate neighbourhood of can be chosen homeomorphic to an open ball, so there is a connected open neighbourhood of contained in . Its translates , , are open and lie in , and cover . Therefore the identity component of a Lie group is open in . Conjugation by any is a homeomorphism fixing , so it maps into itself; conjugation by gives the reverse inclusion. Hence is a normal subgroup.
If is an open neighbourhood of in , let , allowing inverses in the meaning of generated subgroup. For each , is open and lies in , so is open in . Every other left coset of is also open. Thus is both open and closed in the connected space . It is nonempty, so .
A quadratic form on is a function for a symmetric bilinear form . Equivalently, and the polarizationis a bilinear map. In coordinates there is a unique real symmetric matrix with . No assumption of nondegeneracy or positive definiteness is needed.
An element stabilizes when for every . By the polarization identity, this is equivalent to preserving , or in coordinates toThis is a closed Matrix Lie group. The Lie algebra of a quadratic-form stabilizer isTo prove necessity, differentiate along any smooth curve in with , . The derivative at zero is .
To prove sufficiency, suppose and consider the matrix exponential . ThenIts value at zero is , so for every real . This curve has derivative at zero, proving the claimed tangent space description even for a degenerate quadratic form.
Equivalently, the condition is for all . For a nondegenerate quadratic form it is the corresponding Special orthogonal Lie algebra. To see the degenerate case explicitly, choose a basis withWriting , the condition becomeswhile are arbitrary. Thus the nullspace of the quadratic form is invariant, but arbitrary infinitesimal maps into it are allowed. When , the formula correctly gives and .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2018 iii Paper 102 3 a Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-05
Write an element of the diagonal Cartan subalgebra asThe root system of this Special orthogonal Lie algebra isThus the maps requested are , with the two signs independent. This is the D3 root system, with twelve roots.
For a direct check, the defining matrix identity gives the block form with and . If denotes a matrix unit, the root space for is spanned by ; those for and are spanned respectively by and . Commuting these with gives exactly the displayed maps.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2019 ii Paper 1 26H b Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-29
Let be the vector space of real symmetric matrices and considerAt ,This derivative is surjective: for , choosing gives . Thus is a regular value and the orthogonal group is a submanifold of codimensionThe determinant takes only the values on , so the special orthogonal group is an open-and-closed submanifold of . Therefore
The tangent space is the kernel of :where the Special orthogonal Lie algebra is the vector space of skew-symmetric matrices. This proves the special orthogonal group as a submanifold description.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2023 iii Paper 302 1 b Solution Created 2026-09-28 Updated 2026-10-03
If belongs to the Special orthogonal Lie algebra, which is also the Lie algebra of , then near . Differentiatingat zero gives . Conversely, the matrix exponential of every real skew-symmetric matrix is orthogonal. Hence
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2026 iii Paper 102 5 Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
Use the B2 root system conventionThus is the five-dimensional vector representation of the Special orthogonal Lie algebra . Label its weight verticesThe crystal basis is the colored chainbecause each Kashiwara operator subtracts .
For the tensor product of crystals, write for . The complete colored-arrow graph is compactly specified byIts three connected highest-weight components start at , , and . Their vertex sets areTheir highest weights and dimensions identify the ten-vertex component with the exterior square and the other two with the symmetric square. Thereforeof dimensions and , respectively.
Every weight of lies in the root lattice, so every weight of every tensor power also lies in that lattice. But represents the nonzero coset in the quotient of the weight lattice by the root lattice. Consequently no irreducible constituent of can have highest weight , and never occurs.
Spin representation 2026-10-14
A spinor representation is a representation of a Spin group, or infinitesimally of a Special orthogonal Lie algebra, constructed from a Clifford algebra. In even dimensions it can split into two chiral spinor representations.

