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For nonnegative integer $n$, a second solution of the Legendre differential equation is obtained by reduction of order from $P_n$ as $P_n(x)\int dx/[(1-x^2)P_n(x{)}^2]$. Normalize it as $Q_0=\frac{1}{2}\log |(1+x)/(1-x)|$ and $Q_1=x{Q}_0-1$, with the usual Legendre polynomial recurrence relation for higher degrees. Inside $(-1,1)$, $Q_n\sim -\frac{1}{2}\log (1-x)$ near $1$ and $Q_n\sim (-1{)}^n\frac{1}{2}\log (1+x)$ near $-1$. These follow from $P_n(1)=1$, $P_n(-1)=(-1{)}^n$ in the integral. Poles in the integral at interior polynomial zeros cancel in the product, by reduction of order across a zero of the known solution. On $x>1$, the integral from infinity defines the decaying normalization $Q_n(x)\sim 2^n(n!{)}^2{x}^{-n-1}/(2n+1)!$. For $n\ge 1$ all bounded exterior solutions decay this way; for $n=0$ an additional constant solution remains bounded.

For massless collisionless neutrinos in Newtonian gauge in cosmology, expand their temperature fluctuation as $\Theta (\mu )={\sum }_{\ell \ge 0}(-i{)}^{\ell }{\Theta }_{\ell }{P}_{\ell }(\mu )$, without a $(2\ell +1)$ factor. The Legendre polynomial recurrence relation givesThe lower-neighbour term is absent at $\ell =0$. Multipoles with the more usual $(2\ell +1)$ weighting equal ${\Theta }_{\ell }/(2\ell +1)$.

A scalar cosmological perturbation at fixed wavevector carries no helicity or distinguished transverse direction. Its metric and scalar sources are unchanged by rotations around $\mathbf{k}$, and the scalar baryon peculiar velocity is longitudinal. With scalar initial conditions, rotational invariance of the linear evolution therefore makes $\Theta$ a function only of $\mu =\hat{\mathbf{k}}\cdot \mathbf{e}$. Expand it using the stated normalization, without an extra $(2\ell +1)$ factor:In the Thomson kernel, $1+v^2=4/3+(2/3)P_2(v)$. The spherical harmonic addition theorem and Orthogonality of Legendre polynomials giveOnly the monopole and quadrupole survive; the quadrupole's $(-i{)}^2=-1$ gives the angular scattering integralThis also explains why an isotropic distribution has zero net collision term.

The streaming term $ik\mu \Theta$ and the Legendre polynomial recurrence relation yield, after division by $(-i{)}^{\ell }$, $k[(\ell +1){\Theta }_{\ell +1}/(2\ell +3)-\ell {\Theta }_{\ell -1}/(2\ell -1)]$. With ${\mathbf{v}}_b=i\hat{\mathbf{k}}{v}_b$, the velocity collision source is $+{\tau }^{\prime }{v}_b$ in the dipole equation; the gravitational gradient source is $+k\psi$. Therefore the photon Boltzmann hierarchy isSet the absent ${\Theta }_{-1}$ contribution to zero. This is algebraically the printed hierarchy. In particular,Since ${\tau }^{\prime }<0$, these collision terms damp the nonzero multipoles and drive the dipole to ${\Theta }_1=-v_b$. The latter sign follows from the paper's velocity and $(-i{)}^{\ell }$ conventions, not a reversed physical photon velocity.

Evaluate $R_n$ at $x=1$ using $(x^2-1{)}^n=(x-1{)}^n(x+1{)}^n$. In the Leibniz rule for the $n$th derivative, every term vanishes at $1$ except the term putting all $n$ derivatives on $(x-1{)}^n$. Therefore $R_n(1)=n!2^n$. Combining this with $P_n(1)=1$ gives the normalisation in the Rodrigues' formula:For $n=0$, the formula gives ${\alpha }_0=1$, as required. As an independent check, the leading term of $R_n$ is $(2n)!x^n/n!$, so the resulting leading coefficient of $P_n$ is $(2n)!/(2^n(n!{)}^2)$, consistent with the Legendre polynomial recurrence relation.

The original PDF contains this subpart; the local TeX has omitted it. Write $a_n$ for the leading coefficient of $P_n$. The Legendre polynomial recurrence relation and the starting polynomials give $a_0=a_1=1$, and induction givesIndeed, $x{P}_n$ has degree of a polynomial $n+1$, while $P_{n-1}$ has smaller degree of a polynomial and cannot cancel its leading term. HenceAt $x=1$, the same linear recurrence relation gives $(n+1)P_{n+1}(1)=(2n+1)P_n(1)-n{P}_{n-1}(1)$. Starting from $P_0(1)=P_1(1)=1$, induction yields

For one Fourier mode, put $\mu =\hat{\mathbf{k}}\cdot \mathbf{e}$. The collisionless equation becomesUse the unweighted Legendre polynomial expansion specified in the paper: $\Theta ={\sum }_{j\ge 0}(-i{)}^j{\Theta }_j{P}_j(\mu )$. The Legendre polynomial recurrence relation saysThe coefficient of $P_{\ell }$ in $ik\mu \Theta$ receives contributions from $j=\ell -1$ and $j=\ell +1$. Dividing by $(-i{)}^{\ell }$ gives respectively $-k\ell {\Theta }_{\ell -1}/(2\ell -1)$ and $k(\ell +1){\Theta }_{\ell +1}/(2\ell +3)$. The metric sources are $\dot{\varphi }{P}_0$ and $-ik\psi P_1$, the latter becoming $k\psi$ after division by $(-i)$. Hence the neutrino Boltzmann hierarchy isThe lower-neighbour term is absent for $\ell =0$. The low moments areThese coefficients depend on the expansion convention. In the convention with a $(2\ell +1)$ factor, the temperature multipoles are ${\Theta }_{\ell }/(2\ell +1)$; using those multipoles without converting them would give incorrect factors in the scalar neutrino anisotropic stress.

A scalar Fourier mode selects one spatial direction, $\hat{\mathbf{k}}$, and has no transverse vector or tensor polarization. Rotations about $\mathbf{k}$ therefore leave its temperature and polarization patterns unchanged. Only azimuthal number $m=0$ occurs in the corresponding spherical harmonic expansion.

Let $\mu =\hat{\mathbf{k}}\cdot \mathbf{e}$ and use the paper's conventionwhich omits the $(2\ell +1)$ factor used in some other definitions of the photon temperature multipole. In Fourier space the transport term is $ik\mu \Theta$. The Legendre polynomial recurrence relation makes its coefficient at multipole $\ell$ equal toThe gravitational time derivative is purely monopolar, and the potential gradient and baryon velocity are dipolar. Thomson scattering removes the monopole from its relaxation term and adds the quadrupole polarization correction. Thus the photon Boltzmann hierarchy isThe $\ell =0$ term containing ${\Theta }_{-1}$ is understood as zero.

Insert the photon temperature multipole expansion into the Fourier-space transport equation. The Legendre polynomial recurrence relation turns multiplication by $\mu$ into nearest-neighbour multipole couplings, while Orthogonality of Legendre polynomials projects onto a fixed $\ell$. The monopole projection has no collision term because Thomson scattering conserves photon number:The dipole projection receives the electron-velocity source,For every $\ell \ge 2$, the collision term damps the anisotropic multipole and the photon Boltzmann hierarchy isThus the Free-streaming photon Boltzmann equation moves angular structure between neighbouring multipoles, whereas Thomson scattering suppresses all multipoles above the dipole in the tight-coupling approximation.

Write $\mu =\hat{\mathbf{k}}\cdot \hat{\mathbf{p}}$ and use the Legendre polynomial recurrence relation. The definition in the question is inverted byFor Newtonian-gauge potentials the scanned geodesic equation is the standard identityIts monopole and dipole are $S_0={\Phi }^{\prime }$ and $S_1=k\Psi /3$. Projecting the photon Boltzmann hierarchy onto $P_0$ and $P_1$ therefore givesThe first is the photon continuity equation; the second is the photon Euler equation, with the photon quadrupole providing the anisotropic-stress term. Indeed, with photon density contrast ${\delta }_{\gamma }=4{\Theta }_0$ and velocity divergence ${\theta }_{\gamma }=3k{\Theta }_1$,