# How to get rid of the space between greek and non-greek letters in ToExpression

First I tried the following:

ToExpression["$\\delta\\alpha$", TeXForm, HoldForm]


and then as expected, I got

\[Delta]\[Alpha]


Then I tried

ToExpression["$\\delta a$", TeXForm, HoldForm]


and I got

\[Delta] a


with an unexpected space between a $\delta$ and $a$. A standard LaTeX interpreter will not add a space between $\delta$ and $a$.

My question is: how can I get rid of the space between the greek letter delta and the latin letter a?

I'm using Mathematica 11.0.1.0 on Mac.

A standard LaTeX interpreter will not add a space between $\delta$ and $a$.
ToExpression needs to convert it to a meaningful mathematical expression. It has to decide whether you meant one symbol named $\delta\alpha$ or the multiplication of two distinct symbols, $\delta\times\alpha$. ToExpression does not preserve typesetting. It makes a guess about the mathematical meaning and gives you the corresponding expression, which can be typeset in multiple different ways.