Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2009/iii/paper-55/4/b/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2009 iii Paper 55 4 b Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
For constant barotropic equation of state , the cosmological perfect-fluid continuity equation gives . In conformal time the flat Friedmann equation becomes , where . Integration, for , givesChoose the conformal-time origin so that and work on the appropriate expansion branch. Write , so and .
Combining the supplied energy and momentum constraints gives the comoving-gauge density contrast Poisson relationFor this barotropic fluid . Substitute the energy constraint into the pressure equation to obtainso the bracket vanishes and the coefficient of is .
Because , the Poisson relation gives . Apply the same potential equation to : differentiating givesSince is a constant multiple of , the constant-equation-of-state comoving density equation isThe primes here denote conformal-time derivatives, corresponding to the overdots in the question. A pure vacuum fluid has zero enthalpy and no independent fluid velocity or nonzero-wave-number density perturbation; its formal equation should be interpreted with that degeneracy in mind.
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