Cauchy velocity distribution 2026-10-06
The isotropic three-dimensional Cauchy velocity distribution , , has density and one-dimensional marginal . Its second velocity moment diverges, so is a scale rather than a finite velocity dispersion. At zero phase speed, , giving . In the upper-half frequency plane, the marginal response is ; the growing branch has for .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 iii Paper 320 3 b Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
Use the same specified homogeneous Newtonian background and Jeans swindle, but describe stars by a mass-normalized galactic distribution function. The Collisionless Boltzmann equation is . Let and similarly perturb the gravitational potential. To first order,Eliminating and the nonzero gravitational potential amplitude gives the collisionless Jeans dispersion relationFor growing modes there is no real-velocity pole. Real and damped frequencies require a causal contour prescription or analytic continuation; one must not simply integrate through a pole without specifying it.
Take in the Cauchy velocity distribution. Its normalization is . Orient along the axis and integrate over the perpendicular velocities:At the marginal mode , , with its finite limiting value at zero. The provided Gamma function integral at power two givesConsequentlyTo check that this really separates growing modes, put in the upper half-plane. Residue integration, or integration by parts followed by the Cauchy resolvent, gives . The upper-half-plane solution has , which grows exactly for . At the threshold it approaches the marginal mode continuously. Although plays the threshold role of a velocity scale, this distribution's second moment diverges: the radial integrand for tends to a nonzero constant at large speed. It is therefore incorrect to identify with a finite velocity dispersion or to infer this result by substituting an rms speed into a fluid formula.