Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2016/iii/paper-312/3/i/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2016 iii Paper 312 3 i Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
Let , so and . The orthonormal tetrad gives . To first order,Hence the time-index Christoffel symbols contract toThe term cancels the perturbation in the coordinate direction norm. This cancellation is why the local tetrad direction must not be mistaken for the coordinate direction.
Along the photon null geodesic, , andThe time component of the geodesic equation now gives the photon energy redshift from a tensor metric perturbation:The derivative on the left follows the ray; the dot on is a partial conformal time derivative. The background redshift has already been removed by using comoving energy. The calculation only needs and ; the unrelated printed should contain , rather than the full derivative.
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