Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2013 iii Paper 46 2 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-07
First-class reduction. A regular set of independent constraints is first class when their Poisson brackets vanish on the constraint surface, equivalently locally . The coefficients can be functions on phase space. With the generator , an infinitesimal canonical gauge transformation isEach independent first-class condition removes one phase-space dimension, and quotienting its independent gauge orbit removes another. Thus the regular physical phase space hasThis regular first-class phase-space reduction requires independent constraints and gauge directions. The count can fail at singular strata or for reducible constraints; first-class closure alone does not guarantee independence. For a concrete counterexample to counting redundant equations, take two canonical pairs and , . Both equations are first class, but there is only one independent condition and one gauge direction. The surviving pair has dimension two, whereas blindly substituting gives zero.
Oscillator symplectic form. The center-of-mass pair describes translations and total momentum. The nonzero Fourier coefficients describe the standing-wave modes compatible with free-end Neumann boundary conditions; their reality condition is , and in the standard normalization. For , regarding as a complex coordinate makes its conjugate momentum . Equivalently write . Up to a total derivative, its kinetic term is , a real canonical form. Inverting this oscillator symplectic form of an open string givesThe zero oscillator commutes with nonzero oscillators but is not independent of : . Brackets between the center pair and independent nonzero oscillators vanish.
The quadratic constraints obeyFor example, the two terms in the bracket with give equal contributions after relabelling . Applying this identity to both factors of givesThis classical Virasoro constraint algebra has no central term and closes on the constraints, hence is first class. For , the oscillator gauge transformation isReality is respected when .
Light-cone reduction and mass. Choose light-cone coordinates ; a vector square is , with transverse components. On the proposed gauge slice , the variation becomesFor , every nonzero-mode gauge parameter has an invertible coefficient, so the conditions locally fix the corresponding gauge freedom. Globally this is the usual patch in which is an admissible worldsheet clock; it is not a claim about strings for which that coordinate has turning points. The zero-mode reparameterization is left over.
On that slice the nonzero Virasoro constraints are linear in the longitudinal oscillators:No nonzero longitudinal oscillator remains independent. The residual action isThis residual mass-shell action in light-cone string gauge displays the remaining zero-mode constraint. At the quantum level normal ordering replaces its oscillator term by . One can further set equal to time and solve for the light-cone Hamiltonian .
Canonical quantization gives the transverse relationsHere , annihilate the oscillator vacuum, and create excitations. Define for . The string level operator isThus it counts oscillator number weighted by mode number, and has nonnegative integer eigenvalues. The residual mass-shell condition givesThe constant is the normal-ordering constant of a string, or intercept, not an extra classical tension. In the usual Lorentz-invariant critical bosonic string, level one carries the transverse polarizations of a massless vector. A massive vector would need polarizations; the longitudinal one is not present. Lorentz consistency therefore requires that this vector level be massless, giving . Equivalently the regularized transverse zero-point value gives . This critical-vector assumption in the string intercept argument concerns the usual critical quantum theory. In the lone transverse level-one polarization transforms trivially under the transverse rotation group; a massive scalar interpretation is not excluded by counting. Thus the stated masslessness conclusion is not a consequence of polarization counting for arbitrary . An arbitrary intercept in a transverse oscillator model also need not define the usual covariant critical theory.
The full self-dual massless spectrum. In the closed-string sector, and are the independent nonnegative integer oscillator levels of the two chiral sectors. The integer quantizes center momentum around the circle, , and counts how many times the string winds it. At the self-dual circle , zero mass requiresBoth levels are nonnegative, so their sum is at most two. Exhausting these possibilities gives the massless spectrum at the bosonic self-dual circle:
- , : all states , with arbitrary transverse polarizations.
- , or : one left-sector level-one oscillator with any transverse polarization.
- , or : one right-sector level-one oscillator with any transverse polarization.
- , : four oscillator ground states made massless by their momentum or winding energy.
The last family is easy to miss because the uncompactified ground state is a tachyon; its positive compact energy cancels that negative contribution at these charges. There are no other possibilities: at level sum one, forces both charges to be ; at sum zero, gives exactly the four listed pairs. With transverse oscillators the number of independent massless polarizations is , hence 676 in the critical bosonic theory. The circle oscillator is included among the components; it should not be discarded when interpreting the lower-dimensional scalar states.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2013 iii Paper 46 4 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-07
Spinning-particle mechanics. Keep the mostly-plus metric and place the odd multiplier to the left. Varying the original PDF's dotted-fermion kinetic term givesThe last two equations are multiplier constraints. In deriving the fermion equation, the variation of is after integration by parts; moving past supplies the sign in the interaction variation. The TeX conversion omits the dot, which would erase the fermionic symplectic structure; the PDF fixes it.
Under an infinitesimal Lorentz rotation the target vectors transform together. The scalar contractions in the action are invariant. Its antisymmetric Noether charge isThe spin bilinear is antisymmetric because the Grassmann variables anticommute. Direct differentiation makes conservation particularly transparent:while the fermion equation givesThey cancel, so . The same charge generates Lorentz transformations through the canonical and fermionic Dirac brackets, up to the convention for the sign of the antisymmetric transformation parameter.
The pseudoclassical spinning particle uses odd classical variables rather than assigning an ordinary commuting spatial vector to spin. Eliminating the fermionic momentum constraints givesThese are symmetric graded Poisson brackets. The even bilinears have the Lorentz transformation law of an internal angular-momentum tensor. This is spin from Grassmann bilinears.
Quantization replaces the bracket by an anticommutator,The Clifford algebra is represented on spinors. The constraint then becomesthe massless Dirac equation. Its square gives the massless wave equation, matching . The quantized spin generator is . This spinning-particle Dirac quantization explains why the wavefunction carries a spinor index even though the original variables are vector coordinates.
The NS phase-space action. A Fourier action compatible with the displayed constraints isThe are odd multipliers; an overall phase can instead be absorbed in their definition. The here are fermionic matter modes, not the antighost of Question3. This Neveu–Schwarz Fourier phase-space action gives the bosonic oscillator symplectic form and .
For an open string, the two worldsheet fermion chiralities are related at each endpoint. Opposite relative signs at the two ends produce, after doubling the interval, . The Neveu–Schwarz sector therefore has half-integer Fourier frequencies , with no matter-fermion zero mode. Equal endpoint signs give the periodic Ramond sector instead. The bosonic zero-mode normalization is again .
In old covariant string quantization, all target components are retained and obeyOther oscillator brackets vanish. The momentum-labelled oscillator vacuum satisfies , , and ; take its matter norm positive. The zero-point convention stated in the question givesA physical oscillator ground state has , soIt is a scalar, not a spinor, since the NS sector has no Clifford zero modes. It is a tachyon if , massless if , and massive if . In the usual limiting theory it is the unprojected NS tachyon, removed by the standard GSO projection. Calling it tachyonic before specifying the sign of would be too strong.
The half-level vector and its norm. Let . The level is . Its condition and the only potentially nonzero positive supercurrent condition giveIndeed implies . Higher positive annihilate the state. Likewise is either zero or an annihilator, so all conditions hold. This is the half-level Neveu–Schwarz vector state.
Its matter norm is proportional to . For a real, nonzero on-shell momentum in ordinary Minkowski space, three cases exhaust the possibilities:
- If , then is timelike and its orthogonal complement is Euclidean. In its rest frame sets , so every nonzero physical polarization has positive norm.
- If , then is null. Choose , . Transversality sets , leaving . Polarizations proportional to are null.
- If , then is spacelike. A frame with allows , which satisfies but has norm . It is an explicit negative-norm physical polarization at this level.
Thus, with the usual nonzero particle-momentum hypothesis,This is a level-specific result, not a proof of the full NS no-ghost theorem in arbitrary dimension.
At the limiting intercept the vector becomes massless, and the longitudinal polarization is a null state. It is generated by . Factoring out that null direction identifies and leaves positive physical polarizations of a gauge vector. In the consistent critical NS string one additionally has ; the half-level positivity argument alone does not derive that dimension.
There is a genuine zero-momentum exception if the printed word “all” is read literally. At and , the polarization obeys every displayed positive-mode constraint and the mass shell, but has norm . Transversality is vacuous, and removes nothing. This nonzero-momentum condition in the massless vector norm test is therefore necessary for the intended endpoint assertion. Including zero momentum changes the unrestricted elementary test to strict ; ordinary propagating massless particle states use nonzero null momentum.
Finally, an oscillator vacuum used to build the excited state is labelled by that state's momentum. It need not separately satisfy the scalar-ground-state mass shell: imposing both and at the same momentum would incorrectly exclude all such excitations.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2013 iii Paper 50 4 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-07
Let be the cotangent bundle projection. Its canonical one-form on a cotangent bundle is defined intrinsically by , so locally . Choose the position-first symplectic formIt is closed by and nondegenerate, since contraction with is , which vanishes only when both coefficient sets vanish. The intrinsic definition of makes this symplectic form independent of coordinates.
Use the convention . Then the Hamiltonian vector field and the Poisson bracket areso . Choosing and gives the same equations; choosing only one of these sign changes would reverse the flow.
For the geodesic Hamiltonian, Hamilton's equations givePut , so . Differentiating givesConsequently,Symmetrizing the velocity factors and raising the first index converts this toThese Christoffel symbols are those of the Levi-Civita connection. Thus a Hamiltonian integral curve of a vector field projects to an affinely parametrized geodesic. Conversely, an affinely parametrized geodesic lifts by to an integral curve of a vector field of , since reversing the calculation proves both Hamilton's equations. This is the geodesic flow on the cotangent bundle. The conserved Hamiltonian is half the squared speed, and the zero-energy case gives the constant geodesics.
A quadratic homogeneous polynomial depends only on the symmetric part of its coefficient matrix. Accordingly take its unique symmetric coefficients of a quadratic polynomial, . This is the standard implicit convention in identifying such polynomials with symmetric tensors. If an arbitrary nonsymmetric representative were allowed, the literal equivalence would fail: in Euclidean , , and all other components zero give the zero polynomial, which has zero Poisson bracket with every function, whereas the lowered coefficient array is not a Killing tensor because it is not symmetric.
Lower the indices of the symmetric coefficient tensor using the Riemannian metric. Since ,Along an affinely parametrized geodesic, metric compatibility and implyHere parentheses mean normalized symmetrization over all indicated indices. The left side is by the Hamiltonian vector field convention. Therefore a rank-two Killing tensor, defined by symmetry and , gives a quadratic geodesic first integral.
Conversely, if everywhere on , the last cubic expression vanishes for every at every point, because the Riemannian metric identifies tangent and cotangent spaces invertibly. A symmetric trilinear form is determined by its diagonal cubic polynomial: equivalently, compare its coefficients, or polarize the cubic. Hence . This proves both directions:with symmetry understood on the coefficient representative from the outset. The equivalence is local and does not require geodesic completeness.
For the final construction, the antisymmetric differential two-form is a Killing-Yano two-form. Its defining equation says . Antisymmetry of also says , so the three-index tensor is totally antisymmetric.
The proposed tensor is symmetric, since it is the inner product of the covectors and :There is a useful geometric proof of its Killing tensor equation. Along any affinely parametrized geodesic, define . ThenThe first term vanishes by antisymmetry in , and the second by the geodesic equation. Thus is carried by parallel transport. By metric compatibility, its squared norm is constant, andEvery tangent vector is the initial velocity of a local geodesic, so differentiation at the initial point gives for every . The same cubic-coefficient argument provesThis proves that the square of a Killing-Yano two-form is a rank-two Killing tensor and supplies a nonnegative quadratic geodesic first integral. The argument also explains the conserved quantity: it is the squared norm of a covector that the Killing-Yano two-form makes parallel along every geodesic.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2014 iii Paper 16 1 b Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
The passage to Hamiltonian mechanics uses the Legendre transform in mechanics. Assume a regular Lagrangian: the velocity Hessian matrix is invertible. Thendefines a locally invertible map from the tangent bundle to the cotangent bundle. Write its local inverse as and define the HamiltonianDifferentiating this expression, all terms containing cancel because . HenceThe Euler-Lagrange equations become Hamilton's equations:Conversely, a solution of Hamilton's equations satisfies , hence , and recovers the Euler-Lagrange equations. This proves local equivalence of the two descriptions.
On the cotangent bundle, choose the canonical symplectic form and the convention . Then , so its integral curves are exactly the phase-space equations above. This sign convention is used throughout these solutions. For a hyperregular Lagrangian, the Legendre transform in mechanics is globally invertible and gives global equivalence; regularity alone only gives local equivalence. A singular velocity Hessian matrix may instead produce constraints, so the ordinary unconstrained argument does not apply to every Lagrangian.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2014 iii Paper 16 2 a Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
A symplectic manifold is a smooth manifold equipped with a differential two-form such thatThe first condition says it is a closed differential form; the second says it is pointwise nondegenerate. A nondegenerate skew-symmetric matrix has even size, so the dimension is . Equivalently, is a nowhere-zero top-degree differential form. It supplies an orientation and the volume form . These are the defining conditions on the symplectic form.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2014 iii Paper 16 2 b Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
Odd-dimensional spheres cannot carry a symplectic form, by even-dimensionality. For with , the second de Rham cohomology group vanishes. Any hypothetical symplectic form would therefore be . The symplectic cohomology obstruction givesby the Generalized Stokes theorem. But the symplectic orientation makes a positive volume form, whose integral on this nonempty compact manifold is positive. This is a contradiction.
The oriented area form on is nondegenerate and automatically closed, since a two-dimensional manifold has no nonzero three-forms. Thus among positive-dimensional spheres, exactly admits a symplectic structure:If zero-dimensional symplectic manifolds are admitted, also qualifies: its zero two-form is nondegenerate on the zero tangent spaces. This is a convention-dependent additional case, not another positive-dimensional example.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2014 iii Paper 16 2 c Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
There are no symplectic structures on the Möbius strip. A symplectic form on a surface would be a nowhere-vanishing two-form, hence would provide an orientation. The Möbius strip is nonorientable: transport around its core reverses a transverse direction and therefore reverses any local orientation. This is incompatible with such a two-form. The argument applies whether the boundary is included or only the interior is considered.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2014 iii Paper 16 2 e Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
The Hamiltonian flow of solvesCompactness and the absence of a boundary make this smooth vector field complete, so the flow exists for all real . The defining equation and Cartan's magic formula giveTherefore the pullback of a differential form differentiation rule yieldsso . Pullback commutes with the wedge product of differential forms, and consequentlyThus the flow preserves the symplectic volume, in fact the entire symplectic form.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2014 iii Paper 16 3 a Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
Moser's trick turns variation of symplectic forms into an equation for a time-dependent vector field. Let , , be a smooth path of symplectic forms on a compact manifold without boundary, with a constant de Rham cohomology class. Choose a smooth family of one-forms such that . Such a smooth choice can be made using a fixed auxiliary metric; the essential requirement is this exactness throughout the path.
Nondegeneracy uniquely determines byLet be its flow, with . Compactness ensures existence over the whole parameter interval. By Cartan's magic formula,ThusThe path is made constant by a diffeomorphism moving with . Every interpolating form must be nondegenerate; equal endpoint cohomology alone does not ensure that every linearly interpolated form is a symplectic form. On a noncompact manifold one instead needs completeness of this flow, or restricts to a sufficiently small neighborhood, as in the local argument below.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2014 iii Paper 16 4 a Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
Let be the cotangent bundle projection. The canonical one-form on a cotangent bundle is intrinsically defined byNo metric or coordinate choice is needed. In local coordinates . ChooseIt is closed because , and its coordinate matrix is , which is invertible. The intrinsic definition of makes the forms agree under all cotangent coordinate changes. This is the canonical symplectic form; choosing instead is the opposite common sign convention.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2014 iii Paper 16 4 b Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
A Lagrangian submanifold of a -dimensional symplectic manifold is an embedded -dimensional submanifold on which the symplectic form restricts to zero. The dimension requirement distinguishes it from a lower-dimensional isotropic submanifold.
A differential one-form on gives an embedded section of its cotangent bundle, since . Directly from the canonical one-form on a cotangent bundle,Its graph already has half the ambient dimension. ThereforeThis proves the graph of a closed one-form is Lagrangian criterion, in both directions.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2014 iii Paper 16 5 b Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
Use the normalization in which a projective line has area . On the affine chart of Complex projective space where , set and . Define the Fubini-Study form byOn another chart the corresponding potential differs by for a nowhere-zero holomorphic function , whose is zero. Thus these local differential forms glue to a global form. It is real and closed. Its Hermitian coefficient matrix is positive definite, since for the Cauchy-Schwarz inequality givesHence it is a Kähler form and in particular a symplectic form.
On a complex projective line with this is , whose total area is . Thus is the positive generator, equivalently . Another common normalization uses half this form and gives line area ; the scale must be carried consistently into symplectic reduction.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2014 iii Paper 16 5 c Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
The Marsden-Weinstein theorem says that for a Hamiltonian group action, if is a regular value fixed by the coadjoint action and acts freely and properly on , thenis a symplectic manifold with a unique form characterized by , where includes the level set and is the quotient projection. Its dimension is .
Equip with the standard symplectic formLet the circle group act by . Its generator is , andConsequently the moment map in our convention is . It is invariant, hence equivariant because the circle group is abelian. The level is the sphere of radius ; it is regular, the circle group acts freely there, and properness follows from compactness of the group. The quotient is Complex projective space, by , a scaled Hopf fibration. The Marsden-Weinstein theorem therefore produces a reduced symplectic form on .
To identify it rather than only assert its existence, use the primitiveOn the affine chart choose the local section of the quotient. Direct substitution givesDifferentiating, using , givesThis is the Fubini-Study form from circle reduction. The unit sphere instead produces half this form; our radius is exactly what gives the line-area normalization used above.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2014 iii Paper 51 1 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
Let be a smooth antisymmetric matrix field. It defines a Poisson bivector throughThis Poisson bracket is bilinear, antisymmetric and a derivation in each argument. It defines a Poisson manifold when it also satisfies the Jacobi identity. Apply that identity in the form to the coordinate functions. Since , it givesThis is the coordinate Jacobi condition for a Poisson bivector. It is also sufficient: in the Jacobi identity for arbitrary functions the terms containing second derivatives cancel by antisymmetry, leaving . Thus the coordinate condition captures the whole obstruction.
Now suppose the Poisson bivector is nondegenerate. Write , so , and define the 2-formAn overall minus sign in identifying the symplectic form depends on the convention for Hamiltonian vector fields; it does not affect the closure argument. Differentiating the inverse matrix givesContract the coordinate Jacobi identity with . Antisymmetry gives , and similarly for the other terms, henceThe cyclic expression is precisely the coefficient of the exterior derivative . ThereforeSince is antisymmetric and nondegenerate, is a symplectic form. This proves the closure of the inverse of a nondegenerate Poisson bivector. The matrix entries are scalar functions; the codomain in the source's matrix description should be read as the space of antisymmetric matrices, rather than a vector-valued individual entry.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2014 iii Paper 52 4 a Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
Fix a classical globally hyperbolic spacetime with metric signature ; in this solution take . A free real Klein-Gordon field can be specified bywhere is its mass, its curvature coupling and the scalar curvature. Global hyperbolicity ensures a well-posed initial-value problem on a Cauchy hypersurface and the existence of retarded and advanced propagators. Thus compactly supported field and normal-derivative data determine a classical solution. This fixes the dynamics, but not a Fock vacuum.
For real solutions with suitable support or falloff, the symplectic form on scalar-field solutions iswith the future unit normal. The field equation makes the current conserved, so this symplectic form is independent of when boundary flux vanishes. Quantize the initial data by the canonical commutation relation: with and the delta function defined relative to , and the two equal-field commutators vanish. Equivalently, construct the field algebra using the causal propagator. A state on that algebra is additional input.
To construct a particle representation, complexify the classical solution space. Its conserved Klein-Gordon inner product isIt is indefinite on all complex solutions. Choose a complete positive-norm subspace and an orthonormal mode basis with , and . Such a choice is encoded by a compatible complex structure on the Klein-Gordon solution space. Its positive subspace gives the one-particle Hilbert space, and the associated bosonic Fock space contains symmetrized many-particle states. The field expansion isThe creation operator adds a particle in mode , the annihilation operator removes one, and the number operator is . For continuous mode labels the sums and Kronecker deltas become integrals and delta functions, or one can work with normalized wave packets.
The ambiguity is precisely that the field equation and global hyperbolicity do not select that positive subspace. A different normalized basis may mix and by a Bogoliubov transformation, and then its annihilation operators mix and . Its Fock vacuum and number operators differ. The Hadamard condition constrains physically acceptable short-distance singularities and allows local renormalization, but it still leaves many states. Hence there is generally no observer-independent particle count on an arbitrary dynamical geometry.
In a stable strictly stationary spacetime, a globally future timelike Killing vector field gives a preferred time translation. Fix its normalization and suitable boundary conditions, and choose positive-frequency solutions satisfying with . The corresponding positive spectral subspace gives the preferred vacuum state in a stationary spacetime. Unitary changes of basis within it leave the vacuum and the particle notion unchanged. This construction assumes a well-defined positive stationary generator; stationarity by itself is insufficient if becomes spacelike, as in a Kerr ergoregion, or if unstable or zero modes obstruct the ground-state construction. It selects a preferred ground state under the stated assumptions, not a unique state among all thermal and excited states.
If the geometry is suitably stationary in the asymptotic past and future, choose those preferred mode spaces separately, giving the in-vacuum and out-vacuum. Propagate the past modes through the intervening region using the field equation and compare them to the future modes using the conserved Klein-Gordon inner product. Adopt the conventionThe canonical identities for a bosonic Bogoliubov transformation read and . Extracting the future annihilation operator with the same inner product givesIn the in-vacuum, only contributes to . Therefore the particle number from Bogoliubov coefficients isNonzero is the production of future particles from the past vacuum. Summing over future modes gives the total expected particle number when that sum is finite. For infinitely many modes, a Hilbert-Schmidt operator is the condition for unitary implementability between these pure bosonic Fock space representations; finite-volume or wave-packet calculations must respect the relevant measures and convergence. Particle production is determined by the negative-frequency mixing, rather than by identifying a single instantaneous vacuum throughout the time-dependent region.