Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2012/iii/paper-57/3/d/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2012 iii Paper 57 3 d Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-07
Let and . The Gaussian random field covariance in Fourier space isThe Fourier transform of the centered quadratic term isThe Gaussian three-point function vanishes. At first order in , the only terms are and its two cyclic placements. For the first, Wick theorem pairs four Gaussian factors in three ways. Pairing the two factors inside together is canceled by the mean subtraction. Pairing one of those factors with and the other with gives and the overall momentum delta; exchanging the two factors gives the same contribution. ThusAdding the three placements givesThere is no second-order term because it would contain five centered Gaussian factors. The two-point function receives its first correction at , whereas the displayed local-type primordial non-Gaussianity gives a three-point correlation already at . For the squeezed limit is ; this explains the strong correlation between a long potential and short-scale power. A finite variance or regulator is needed to define the subtracted , as noted in part (b).
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