For a dilute nonrelativistic gas with and zero chemical potential, the Bose-Einstein distribution approaches the Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution. Expanding in the number density integral gives . Since and , the entropy density at zero chemical potential gives and hence the displayed leading expression. This includes the internal multiplicity ; a single real scalar field has .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2016 iii Paper 310 3 a Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
Consider a species in thermal equilibrium, with energy density and pressure depending on temperature and with vanishing chemical potential, as in the supplied thermodynamic relation. Put . The first law of thermodynamics givesSince ,The differential is therefore exact:After fixing the irrelevant additive entropy zero, the entropy density at zero chemical potential isMore precisely the first law leaves an additive constant in ; extensivity fixes that constant for the usual entropy-density normalization. A nonzero chemical potential would instead require , so the stated formula is not a universal identity for a decoupled massive species with conserved particle number.
For a reversible thermodynamic process that is an adiabatic process in a comoving volume, and the cosmological perfect-fluid continuity equation gives . Differentiating the extensive expression explicitly, or using the exact differential above, givesThis is cosmological entropy conservation for the closed equilibrium gas with no entropy-producing energy injection.
For radiation in cosmology, , so . Comparing and yields the coefficient ratioWhen all relativistic species share the same temperature and count, the familiar normalizations are and . More generally the energy and entropy effective counts can differ; the common here uses the assumptions stated in the question.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 iii Paper 310 3 c Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
Use the dark-sector temperature in every dimensionless integration variable: and . Assume a single real scalar field, , and fast number-changing reactions keeping . For , the populated momenta satisfy , soThis is the nonrelativistic Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution limit of the Bose-Einstein distribution. The given Gaussian Gamma function integral givesSince and , the entropy density at zero chemical potential is . Its leading nonrelativistic entropy at zero chemical potential is thereforeAn internal multiplicity would multiply this expression; the absence of in the printed result assumes a real one-state scalar.
Now use the constant separately conserved visible and dark entropy ratio and the relativistic visible-bath entropy law, . Since ,Thus the cannibal-sector temperature ratio hasThe numerical coefficient is approximately . The visible-bath temperature is the photon temperature while that bath is internally thermalized; after distinct visible species acquire different temperatures, its total entropy must instead use the appropriate temperature-weighted .
The displayed relativistic scalar entropy formula must not be continued into this regime with held constant. If it is used as an effective definition at arbitrary temperature, thenand gives the same result. This specifies how the relativistic expression can legitimately be combined with the nonrelativistic one.