Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2002/iii/paper-45/2/a/solution

Let be the density contrast, let be a comoving coordinate, and use . Define , so for the pressureless background. The perturbation Poisson equation is
For the comoving velocity field , local mass conservation gives
One obtains this by subtracting from . In the linear regime it reduces to , the linearized cosmological continuity equation. The spatial derivatives are with respect to , and the time derivative in the conservative continuity equation is at fixed . In contrast the acceleration of an individual fluid element is a material derivative. The physical peculiar velocity is .

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