Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2021 iii Paper 302 4 vii Solution 2026-09-28
The two commuting triples each generate a copy of the complexified SU(2) Lie algebra. Hence the chiral decomposition of the complex Lorentz algebra isIn physicists' compact notation this is
; the real Lorentz algebra relates the two factors by complex conjugation.
; the real Lorentz algebra relates the two factors by complex conjugation.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2023 iii Paper 302 2 a Solution 2026-09-28
Define the ladder operators . The SU(2) Lie algebra relations implyThus has weight when nonzero. Starting from a maximum-weight vector , repeated lowering gives weightsThe norm formula derived from the Casimir element,shows that lowering stops precisely at . Therefore is a nonnegative integer and the irreducible representation has dimension .