Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2016/iii/paper-321/1/b/i/solution

The four equations describe, respectively, vertical hydrostatic equilibrium in the central object's gravity, the vertical divergence of radiative flux balancing viscous dissipation, optically thick radiative diffusion, and the equation of state combining ideal gas gas pressure with radiation pressure. Here is dynamic viscosity, not the mean molecular weight ; is the opacity, the Stefan-Boltzmann constant, and the local orbital frequency.
In the radiation-pressure limit, , so radiative diffusion gives
Compare this with vertical hydrostatic equilibrium. Wherever ,
At fixed radius, constant opacity makes . The viscous dissipation equation therefore yields
independent of height within the optically thick radiation-supported layer. The result assumes the supplied gravity, heating and diffusion equations; optically thin surface corrections are outside that approximation.

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