Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2024/iii/paper-317/4/i/solution

In the synchronously rotating reference frame, stationary fluid obeys
where is the sum of the two gravitational potentials and the centrifugal potential. The circular binary's Kepler third law gives , hence
Uniform composition and the assumed central condensation make star 1 approximately barotropic, so one may define the specific enthalpy
Hydrostatic balance becomes , or throughout the star. Since is a monotone function of and , constant- and constant- surfaces are equipotential surfaces of .

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