Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2007/iii/paper-64/3/i/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2007 iii Paper 64 3 i Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
The comoving observer measures , so . Write . The null geodesic condition impliesThe time component of the geodesic equation, using , is thereforeDifferentiate . The homogeneous expansion terms cancel:At zeroth order , with . The difference between coordinate velocity and physical unit direction is already first order and multiplies , so it can be discarded in this expression. We obtain the synchronous photon momentum redshiftIn the unperturbed universe is constant and physical photon energy redshifts as ; the displayed term is the additional anisotropic first-order redshift.
To check the direction, let . Combining the spatial and temporal geodesic equations cancels their homogeneous Hubble terms and givesEvery remaining connection or explicit metric-derivative term is first order. A local orthonormal spatial frame defines the physical unit vector by . Its derivative adds only first-order terms, soConsequently direction deflection multiplied by an already first-order temperature anisotropy is second order. The first-order brightness calculation may use a straight unperturbed ray without neglecting the first-order gravitational frequency change.
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