Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2007 iii Paper 2 5 a Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
For unital algebras over a field , a measuring coalgebra is a coalgebra together with a linear map such that, in Sweedler notation,Thus a group-like element acts by a unital algebra homomorphism over a field, while skew-primitive elements give twisted product rules.
The universal measuring coalgebra has a universal measuring map with this property: for every measuring map from a coalgebra , there is a unique coalgebra homomorphism satisfying . The uniqueness is among coalgebra homomorphisms; itself need not be an injective map of vector spaces.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2007 iii Paper 2 5 c Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
Put . First describe the multiplication of the universal measuring coalgebra . If measure into itself through , then their tensor product coalgebra measures it byIndeed applying both measuring product rules gives the product rule for the tensor comultiplication, and the unit condition follows likewise. Apply universality with : composition induces a coalgebra homomorphism . The identity endomorphism induces the unit . Associativity and the unit laws follow by uniqueness because both candidate coalgebra homomorphisms evaluate as the same compositions of endomorphisms. Thus is a bialgebra.
The generator actions from Question 4 satisfy all defining relations of the quantum enveloping algebra of sl2, so they define an action of on . Its skew product rules are exactly the rules from and . Products of elements satisfying the module algebra rule satisfy it as well: apply the two successive actions and use that is multiplicative. Since the generators and unit satisfy it, the full action is a measuring of into itself.
Universality therefore gives a unique coalgebra homomorphism inducing this action. To prove multiplicativity, compare the two coalgebra homomorphisms from given by and . Both induce , so uniqueness makes them equal. The unit comparison is identical. ConsequentlyThis avoids assuming the universal measuring map is injective: equality is justified by its universal property for coalgebra maps.