Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2008 iii Paper 72 2 iii Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
Use cylindrical coordinates and tracer density . A steady axisymmetric Jeans equation, with no mean radial or vertical flow, isWrite , , and . Rearrangement gives the stellar asymmetric drift equationFor an isotropic velocity ellipsoid, all three dispersions equal and the cross stress vanishes. Therefore the required general result isThe positive root is for a prograde galactic disk. A declining radial stress gives : random motions supply some support, so mean stellar rotation is slower than cold-gas circular rotation. For , . The condition alone is insufficient; one also needs .
There is no universal numerical coefficient expressible from and alone. For constant velocity dispersion and , . Thus gives the often-used estimate , while gives a different answer with the same and . For an exponential galactic disk tracer with and , the exponential-disk asymmetric drift has .
Real galactic disks generally have anisotropic velocity dispersions, often . In the small-random-motion epicyclic motion limit for a flat galaxy rotation curve, , so even the non-gradient term matters. The velocity ellipsoid can tilt, and bars or spiral structure can violate steady axisymmetry. Age-dependent galactic disk heating makes the lag population dependent. Gas has finite turbulent and thermal stresses too, though a cold gas disk often approximates much better than a hot stellar population.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2008 iii Paper 72 2 iv Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
For a concrete Milky-Way-like illustration, takeand isotropic tracer velocity dispersionWith local tracer density , the exponential-disk asymmetric drift then predictsThe sketch shows the cold gas following , rising in the inner galaxy and becoming approximately flat, while the stellar curve sits below it. Only radii are used for the stellar approximation; a central galactic bulge needs a separate model.
Milky-Way-like cold-gas circular rotation and a stellar rotation curve with explicitly specified asymmetric drift
. Details. At , and , giving gas speed about , stellar speed about , and a lag about . These are representative scales for the requested schematic, not a fit to the Milky Way. Hotter old stellar populations would have a larger lag: doubling this dispersion at the same radius gives a stellar speed about . The specified radial laws and isotropy make the example reproducible while retaining the qualifications in the preceding derivation.
