Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2005/ii/paper-3/10d/a/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2005 ii Paper 3 10D a Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-14
For a homogeneous isotropic metric, radial light propagation covers comoving distance . The physical particle horizon is , when this is finite. A future event horizon exists when is finite. The Hubble radius is the instantaneous scale , with ; it is not generally the same as either causal horizon.
For an Einstein-de Sitter universe, , so , while from a beginning at zero. The future integral diverges, so there is no event horizon. For an eternal-past de Sitter spacetime, is constant and the particle-horizon integral from diverges. Its event horizon and Hubble radius both equal . Thus a Hubble radius is not automatically a particle horizon, even in these simple isotropic models.
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