Endomorphism-induced tensor derivation 2026-10-05
A smooth endomorphism of the tangent bundle defines the tensor derivation by and . On a differential one-form, . On a general tensor field, it acts by in each vector factor and by the negative dual action in each covector factor. The two actions cancel in each contracted pairing, proving compatibility with tensor contraction.
For the local flow of a smooth vector field , pull a tensor field back to the fixed base point before differentiating. Pullback uses on vector factors and the dual of on covector factors. The chain rule gives . In coordinates, , so . Differentiation of pullback preserves tensor contractions and obeys the Leibniz rule for tensor products; hence this is the tensor derivation defining the Lie derivative of a tensor field.
For a Newtonian Kepler orbit, let be the total mass and the reduced mass; put , , and , with . In the convention , differentiating the acceleration givesThe two terms have zero cross tensor contraction, with squared norms and . Therefore . Substitution into the quadrupole formula in this convention, , proves the luminosity. It is nonnegative since . The formula uses a weak gravitational field, slow motion and leading radiation order; orbital averaging gives a secular luminosity.
Invariant tensor 2026-10-07
An invariant tensor is fixed by every element of the represented group, so it spans or belongs to a trivial group representation. The special unitary group preserves its identity tensor and the upper and lower volume tensors. Such tensors make tensor contraction equivariant and permit invariant inner products and real structures.
Kretschmann scalar Created 2026-10-05 Updated 2026-10-07
The Kretschmann scalar is the scalar tensor contraction of two copies of the Riemann curvature tensor. In Schwarzschild spacetime, with metric coefficient and , it is . Divergence of this scalar along a curve approaching a proposed regular point proves that there is no twice continuously differentiable, nondegenerate metric extension through that point: such an extension would have continuous finite curvature components and hence a finite scalar contraction. This gives a coordinate-independent test of a curvature singularity. Boundedness of this single scalar does not prove regularity.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2006 ib Paper 1 14A Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-24
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Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2008 ia Paper 3 10C i Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-24
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Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2012 iii Paper 48 2 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-07
Use the full definition of the special unitary group: and . The determinant condition is essential for the alternating tensors; unitarity alone would instead define . Assume when discussing proper invariant subspaces.
Let be the fundamental representation. A tensor belongs to . Its SU(n) tensor transformation isSince , complex conjugation exchanges upper fundamental and lower dual factors. Reordering the two index groups shows that is a tensor.
The invariant tensors follow directly. The Kronecker delta transforms to . For the alternating tensors, the determinant expansion givesThe lower tensor is preserved in the same way using . Thus , and are invariant.
When , the permutation of two upper slots commutes with the tensor product representation. Its and eigenspaces are nonzero proper invariant subspaces. The same argument uses two lower slots when . The remaining rank-two case splits into scalar multiples of and traceless second-rank tensors, since tensor contraction is equivariant. This covers every case except the fundamental, dual fundamental and scalar cases specified in the question. Those three are irreducible: the special unitary group acts transitively on unit vectors in its fundamental space, so a nonzero invariant subspace must be the full space, and the dual has the same property.
A symmetric tensor of upper rank has one component for each multiplicity vector with nonnegative entries and . Equivalently it is a homogeneous degree- polynomial in variables. Counting these monomials givesFor a totally antisymmetric tensor, any repeated index gives zero and the remaining components are indexed by increasing -element subsets. HenceThese are the dimensions of the symmetric power and exterior power, respectively.
For SU(4), the two-index antisymmetric representation has complex dimension six. To establish a six-dimensional real representation, one must exhibit a real structure; simply counting six complex components would give twelve real components. Normalize and define the antilinear mapThe invariant Hermitian form identifies the conjugate indices with lower indices, and the invariant volume tensor then returns an upper pair. Thus commutes with SU(4). The identitygives . Its fixed space hasThree arbitrary complex entries specify all the others, giving exactly six real degrees of freedom. The real structure of the SU4 exterior square therefore provesThe ordinary Hermitian norm restricts to an invariant positive real inner product on this fixed space.
Irreducible representations classify states because an exact symmetry commutes with the Hamiltonian, preserving energy eigenspaces. Irreducible multiplets are the smallest sets closed under all symmetry transformations; their labels and Casimir operators provide quantum numbers. Approximate flavour symmetry gives approximate multiplets and mass relations, with splittings caused by its breaking. Spin and internal quantum numbers are distinct labels.
For the light-quark flavour symmetry in Quantum chromodynamics, the quark flavours form . Their Triple tensor decomposition for the defining sl3 representation isThis algebraic decomposition alone does not determine the allowed ground-state baryons. The three-quark colour singlet is antisymmetric. The no-orbital-excitation ground state has a symmetric spatial wavefunction, so the Pauli exclusion principle requires the combined spin-flavour wavefunction to be symmetric. The three spin-one-half factors haveHere the four-dimensional spin representation has spin , while each doublet has spin . Symmetric decuplet flavour pairs with symmetric spin . The two flavour-octet copies and two spin-doublet copies carry the two-dimensional standard permutation multiplicity space; its tensor square contains one symmetric singlet. Their invariant pairing therefore supplies one octet with spin , not two independent ground-state octets. Antisymmetric flavour would need a completely antisymmetric three-quark spin state, which does not exist.
Equivalently the symmetric spin-flavour SU6 representation hasThus the Pauli constraint on three-quark flavour multiplets gives the concise spectrum classificationThese are the baryon octet and baryon decuplet. The three-quark flavour singlet requires a different spatial permutation symmetry and belongs to excited states, outside the symmetric ground-state approximation used here. If low-lying spatially excited states are also included while their orbital labels are merely suppressed, singlets can occur; the full flavour tensor cube has types . The absence of the singlet from the unexcited ground multiplet is a permutation-symmetry constraint, not a prohibition by alone. Light-quark mass differences make the flavour symmetry approximate rather than exact.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2012 iii Paper 56 1 a Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-07
A covariant derivative on the tangent bundle is an affine connection: it assigns a vector field to vector fields , is linear over smooth functions in , is real-linear in , and obeys the Leibniz rule . Thus it differentiates a vector field while taking account of how its local basis changes. It extends to tensor fields by the Leibniz rule, compatibility with tensor contraction, and for a scalar.
In a local basis , the connection components are defined by . In a coordinate basis, , soA covariant derivative of a tensor field has tensorial transformation properties, but the connection components themselves do not: changing the coordinate basis introduces second derivatives of the coordinate change. They describe the connection in a chosen basis, rather than components of a tensor.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2013 iii Paper 49 1 b Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-07
For a diffeomorphism, the differential and its inverse preserve the natural pairing of a vector with a covector. Consequently the mixed tensor pullback commutes with every tensor contraction :Differentiating at zero gives . The mixed tensor pullback also preserves tensor products, soThe ordinary product rule for differentiation therefore yieldsThis proves the contraction and Leibniz rule properties for all smooth generators, without needing straightening coordinates.
The suggested flow-box theorem applies locally only where . For example vanishes at , so it cannot equal a coordinate basis vector there. Its local flow is nevertheless and , giving even at that zero. This Lie derivative at a zero of its generator illustrates why the general flow proof is needed to cover every point.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2013 iii Paper 49 1 e Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-07
Expand . Using the tensor Lie derivative of functions, vectors and covectors and its Leibniz rule givesThe contravariant slot has a minus sign and the covariant slot a plus sign.
For the commutator identity for Lie derivatives, put . The commutator of two tensor derivations is itself a tensor derivation, and commutes with tensor contractions. On a function, . On a vector field ,by the Jacobi identity, which follows here by expanding the commutators of the operators acting on functions. For a type tensor, is a vector field, and contraction compatibility givesAs this holds for every , . ThereforeThe derivation argument also establishes the identity for arbitrary tensor types by applying it to covector–vector pairings and then to tensor products.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2013 iii Paper 56 2 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-07
Take , and . Newton's law of universal gravitation gives and . Subtracting yields the relative two-body equationThe reduced mass is . The orbital energy and angular momentum in the center of mass frame areDifferentiation givesThus both are conserved. The eccentricity vector isFor , one has , so . In particular the orbital eccentricity is constant, withFor a bound Kepler orbit, and .
For the far-field multipole expansion, set the center of mass to zero. Then and . At , expand each point-mass Newtonian gravitational potential:Repeated indices are summed. The dipole vanishes since , and . The second-order gravitational quadrupole potential of a point-mass binary is thereforeBoth tensors specified in the question are trace-free. Direct contraction givesso to the requested orderFor equal masses the cubic multipole also vanishes, but it need not vanish for unequal masses.
To evaluate the quadrupole formula, use , , , , and . The acceleration and its derivative areThe third derivative of is . Its trace is . Substituting in givesBecause , the cross tensor contraction is zero. The squared norms of the two bracketed pieces are and , respectively. Thusand the instantaneous energy loss isThe parenthesis is , as required for positive radiated power. This is the instantaneous quadrupole luminosity of a Kepler binary with loss sign for the orbital energy.
A slowly evolving initially circular binary is expected to follow a quasi-circular inspiral at leading radiation order. One needs angular-momentum loss as well as energy loss for this conclusion: the rotating quadrupole has frequency and azimuthal harmonic number two, so its fluxes satisfy the gravitational-wave energy and angular-momentum balance . Along the circular family,The flux relation is precisely the tangent condition for remaining on that family; equivalently it keeps equal to zero at leading secular order. The shrinking orbit is not an exact fixed-radius circle: its small radial drift is neglected at this adiabatic order.
For a circular orbit of instantaneous separation , and . ThereforeDifferentiating at fixed masses now givesWriting , the circular gravitational-wave inspiral obeys . The formal point-mass coalescence time is , and gives a decreasing orbital period and increasing gravitational-wave frequency.
Gravitational radiation tightens a detached close binary and becomes more effective at small separation. It can bring a stellar donor into Roche-lobe overflow or drive compact objects toward merger. Finite radii, tides and mass transfer can then alter the evolution; the fixed-mass inspiral law is not the entire evolution law once these matter. Near merger the weak-field, slow-motion quadrupole formula also ceases to be sufficient.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2016 iii Paper 115 1 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
A smooth vector field is a smooth section of a vector bundle of the tangent bundle, so . In a manifold chart, with smooth coefficients. It acts on a smooth function by . For a diffeomorphism , the pushforward of a vector field isThe Lie bracket of vector fields is the commutator of their actions on smooth functions:The second derivatives of cancel, so this is again a vector field. The corresponding Jacobi identity is .
A local flow of is a smooth map on an open neighbourhood of satisfying and . On a sufficiently small neighbourhood and time interval, each is a diffeomorphism onto its image, with inverse . Uniqueness of integral curves of a vector field gives wherever both sides are defined. These are local statements; no assumption of a complete vector field is required.
A smooth tensor field of type is a smooth section of , where the factors are the tangent bundle and cotangent bundle. The flow definition of the Lie derivative of a tensor field isHere pullback applies to each vector factor and the dual of to each covector factor, evaluating at . Thus all tensors being differentiated lie in the same fibre over .
For a smooth function, , and the chain rule givesFor a vector field , in local coordinates the expansions and giveConsequentlyPullback preserves tensor products and tensor contractions, so differentiation makes this definition a tensor derivation. It therefore agrees on every tensor field with the Lie derivative of a tensor field determined by these two formulas.
Now put . The chain rule givesThus is the local flow of . In the case , if , uniqueness of integral curves of a vector field makes on their common domains, or . Conversely, differentiating this commuting identity at zero gives , hence . This proves that diffeomorphism invariance of a vector field is equivalent to commuting with its local flow, with every identity understood on the domain where its compositions exist.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2016 iii Paper 309 1 iii 1 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
For the Vacuum Einstein equations with zero cosmological constant, , and its tensor contraction gives . Every Ricci tensor and scalar curvature term in the Weyl tensor consequently disappears:Thus the Weyl tensor contains all vacuum curvature. Here vacuum means Ricci-flat; a nonzero cosmological constant would retain a constant-curvature contribution to the Riemann curvature tensor.