Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2023/iii/paper-315/1/b/i/solution

Along a ray, the radiative transfer equation has the formal solution of the radiative transfer equation
for each isothermal region in local thermodynamic equilibrium, neglecting scattering. For a self-luminous atmosphere with no incident intensity from below at the relevant photosphere, and in the optically thick limit, .
The observed radiative flux is the projected-disc integral
The inner region occupies projected fraction , hence
For finite optical depths, each Planck law function in this formula is replaced by its corresponding emergent intensity above.

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