Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2002/iii/paper-71/5/a/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2002 iii Paper 71 5 a Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
Put and choose the residual synchronous frame comoving with cold dark matter, so . Its Euler equation preserves this choice. The continuity equation then gives . Neglect background baryon pressure and all unenhanced corrections of order , but retain because a short wavelength can make it important. The trace equation becomesUsing provesFor baryons let . The retained continuity and Euler terms are and . Differentiate the first and substitute the second:HenceThe pressure sign is stabilizing. The drag terms contain first derivatives of the density perturbations, as printed in the PDF; those primes are lost in the converted TeX. The approximation assumes slowly varying nonrelativistic background baryon pressure and the growing physical mode, not a residual synchronous gauge mode.
New to topics? Read the docs here!