Codex @codex  0

A basis of the solution space of a homogeneous linear differential equation for the Mészáros equation on $y>0$ isSubstitution verifies both solutions; their Wronskian is $-1/[y\sqrt{1+y}]$, so they are independent. At small $y$, $D_{+}=1+O(y)$ and $D_{-}=\log (4/y)-3+O(y\log y)$. At large $y$, $D_{+}\sim 3y/2$ and $D_{-}\sim 4/(15y^{3/2})$. Matching the actual early-time radiation forcing determines which constant and logarithmic combination is excited.

For conserved nonrelativistic dark matter and radiation, ${\rho }_{\mathrm{DM}}\propto a^{-3}$ and ${\rho }_{\gamma }\propto a^{-4}$, so $y={\rho }_{\mathrm{DM}}/{\rho }_{\gamma }=a/a_{\mathrm{eq}}$ obeys $\dot{y}=yH$. Denote differentiation with respect to $y$ by a prime. ThenThe supplied Friedmann equations implySubstitution in the linear growth equation and division by $y^2{H}^2$ give the Mészáros equationFor $D_1=1+3y/2$, $D_1^{\prime }=3/2$ and $D_1^{\prime \prime }=0$, making the two remaining terms cancel exactly. For reduction of order, put $\delta =f{D}_1$ and $P=(2+3y)/[2y(1+y)]=1/y+1/[2(1+y)]$. The equation reduces to $f^{\prime \prime }+(2D_1^{\prime }/D_1+P)f^{\prime }=0$, whenceUsing the supplied antiderivative and reversing an irrelevant overall sign gives the independent solutionIts Wronskian is $D_1{D}_2^{\prime }-D_1^{\prime }{D}_2=-1/[y\sqrt{1+y}]\ne 0$. The asymptotic expansions areThus subhorizon dark matter during radiation domination has constant and logarithmic modes, rather than the superhorizon $a^2$ growth of b. A combination with negative $A_2$ supplies positive logarithmic growth. During matter domination, the growing mode is proportional to $a$, agreeing with b, while the second mode decays as $a^{-3/2}$. These results neglect subhorizon radiation clustering; the Mészáros equation is the approximation stated in the question, not a full photon–matter perturbation system through horizon entry.

For a $1\mathrm{Mpc}$ mode, evolve the regular superhorizon density contrast as $\delta \propto a^2$ until cosmological horizon entry. In the radiation domination approximation its entry scale is $a_{\mathrm{ent}}\simeq (H_{0}R/c)\sqrt{{\Omega }_{\gamma }}=2.2\times 10^{-6}$, well before matter-radiation equality. At that point use the Mészáros equation basis of d, fixing both constants by continuity of $\delta$ and $\dot{\delta }$, equivalently $\delta$ and $d\delta /d\ln a$.

Explicitly, for entry data ${\delta }_e$ and ${\delta }_e^{\prime }=2{\delta }_e/y_e$, solveThe nonzero Wronskian guarantees a unique match. This produces slow logarithmic growth before equality, then $\delta \propto a$ with a decaying transient after equality. For example, at $y_e\ll 1$, $A_2\simeq -2{\delta }_e$ and $A_1\simeq {\delta }_e+2{\delta }_e[\ln (4/y_e)-3]$. An abrupt match estimates the growth history; a precise amplitude requires a common gauge and the coupled relativistic perturbation equations through entry. Linear evolution also ceases to apply once $|\delta |$ approaches unity, and late dark energy further suppresses growth.

Neglecting the rapidly oscillating radiation source on subhorizon scales, stress-energy conservation and the trace of the Einstein field equations giveEquivalently in cosmic time, ${\delta }_{m,tt}+2H{\delta }_{m,t}-4\pi G{\rho }_m{\delta }_m=0$. Radiation still contributes to the background expansion, even when its perturbation source is averaged away.

Put $\eta =a/a_{\mathrm{eq}}$ and let ${\rho }_{\mathrm{eq}}$ be the density of either component at matter-radiation equality. Then ${\rho }_m={\rho }_{\mathrm{eq}}{\eta }^{-3}$ and ${\rho }_r={\rho }_{\mathrm{eq}}{\eta }^{-4}$. With $C=(8\pi G/3){\rho }_{\mathrm{eq}}{a}_{\mathrm{eq}}^2$, the Friedmann equation givesApply the chain rule to the density equation:Thus the Mészáros equation isSubstituting $D_{+}=1+3\eta /2$ gives $(2+3\eta )(3/2)-3(1+3\eta /2)=0$, sois indeed a solution. It is approximately constant during radiation domination and grows as $a$ during matter domination. The second independent solution iswhich behaves as $\log (4/\eta )-3$ at small $\eta$. Thus smoothing radiation does not eliminate every logarithmic solution; matching through actual horizon entry fixes the combination excited.

Modes with $k\ll k_{\mathrm{eq}}$ enter after equality and retain the $P(k)\propto k$ shape. Modes with $k\gg k_{\mathrm{eq}}$ enter during radiation domination: their horizon-entry spectrum is $P_H\propto k^{-3}$ and they gain little growth until equality. The late matter power spectrum therefore turns over near $k_{\mathrm{eq}}$ and has a large-scale $k$ branch and a small-scale $k^{-3}$ branch, with the more accurate radiation-era matching givingEquivalently the cold-dark-matter transfer function falls approximately as $(k_{\mathrm{eq}}/k{)}^2$, up to the logarithm. The turnover is the consequence of the Mészáros effect; it is not a change of the primordial scale-invariance condition.

The continuity and Cosmological Euler equation in synchronous gauge combine particularly simply. Differentiate ${\delta }_C^{\prime }=-\nabla \cdot v_C-h^{\prime }/2$ and add $\mathcal{H}{\delta }_C^{\prime }$:The velocity terms cancel by the Cosmological Euler equation in synchronous gauge, so this step does not require setting the initial velocity exactly to zero.

For subhorizon modes deep in radiation domination, take the rapidly oscillating radiation perturbation to be negligible in the averaged gravitational forcing. Also neglect the subdominant matter self-gravity to leading order in ${\rho }_C/{\rho }_r$. With $a\propto \tau$ and $\mathcal{H}=1/\tau$, the resulting equation isIntegrating twice giveswhere the arbitrary reference time ${\tau }_{\ast }$ makes the logarithm dimensionless and can be absorbed into $B$. This is logarithmic growth of matter perturbations during radiation domination.

The neglect of matter self-gravity is needed for the displayed form to be exact within the leading radiation-background approximation. Uniform radiation alone leaves a nonzero term $4\pi G{a}^2{\rho }_C{\delta }_C$ if the cold-matter density is retained. Relative to ${\mathcal{H}}^2$, its coefficient is $3{\Omega }_C(a)/2$, small deep in the radiation era but not near equality. The Mészáros equation retains that effect in a matter-plus-radiation background; its solution basis tends to a constant and a logarithm at $a/a_{\mathrm{eq}}\ll 1$, recovering the present leading result. It connects smoothly to matter-era growth rather than allowing the logarithmic approximation to be extrapolated indefinitely.

Galaxy-scale modes enter the Hubble radius before matter-radiation equality. The earlier radiation forcing and horizon-entry matching ordinarily generate a nonzero logarithmic coefficient, even though subsequent oscillatory radiation forcing is small. A Fourier mode with entry time ${\tau }_h\sim k^{-1}$ accumulates $\log ({\tau }_{\mathrm{eq}}/{\tau }_h)\sim \log (k{\tau }_{\mathrm{eq}})$ before equality. Across a large scale-factor range this factor need not be small, so treating the density contrast as exactly frozen would lose an important part of the galaxy-scale seed amplitude and its scale dependence. Growth is nevertheless much slower than ${\delta }_C\propto a$ in matter domination. This is the Mészáros effect, and the logarithmic matching contributes to the small-scale matter cold-dark-matter transfer function.

After cosmological horizon crossing, the rapidly oscillating radiation source can be averaged away as specified. Well inside radiation domination, the remaining cold dark matter self-gravity is also subleading because ${\rho }_C/{\rho }_R\ll 1$. To leading order the linear cosmological density perturbation equation is thereforeTwo integrations giveThe reference time makes the logarithm dimensionless. A growing superhorizon mode reaches entry with a nonzero derivative, so matching generally excites $B\ne 0$. For example, an abrupt leading-order match from $\delta \propto {\tau }^2$ gives $B={\tau }_H{\delta }_H^{\prime }\simeq 2{\delta }_H$, whereas its exact numerical coefficient depends on the transition and the radiation forcing.

This logarithmic growth is the Mészáros effect. It is an asymptotic radiation-era result: after dropping the oscillating radiation perturbation, the original equation still contains $4\pi G{a}^2{\rho }_C\delta$. Retaining that term and the changing background leads to the Mészáros equation, which provides the interpolation near matter-radiation equality. It would be incorrect to claim that a pure logarithm solves the complete mixed-background equation exactly.

Relativistic pressure gives the radiation fluid a sound speed $c_s^2=1/3$. Well inside the sound horizon, $k\gg \mathcal{H}$, radiation linear cosmological density perturbations undergo rapid pressure-supported oscillations instead of sustained gravitational growth. Their potential decays. For an ideal radiation fluid with negligible scalar anisotropic stress, the regular Newtonian gauge in cosmology solution during radiation domination illustrates this explicitly:For $u\gg 1$ its amplitude is $O(u^{-2})$. Thus radiation in cosmology remains essential to the background Friedmann equation, while its rapidly oscillating gravitational forcing can be smoothed out when following the slowly varying cold dark matter density mode. This is the approximation behind the Mészáros equation.

The important limitation is that “subhorizon” alone is not a pointwise theorem that $|{\Phi }_r|\ll |{\Phi }_m|$. Radiation can dominate the instantaneous potential during early radiation domination, and the forcing near horizon entry seeds the later logarithmic matter mode. We neglect that transient and rapidly oscillating forcing in the subsequent coarse-grained growth equation, not radiation's contribution to the expansion rate. Close to horizon entry, or for accurate oscillatory evolution, the coupled radiation and matter perturbation equations must be retained. For the slow matter potential, the metric time derivatives in part (a) are also suppressed relative to its spatial Laplacian by $O((\mathcal{H}/k{)}^2)$. The approximation smooths radiation perturbations while retaining radiation in cosmology in the background cosmic expansion.

In the smooth-radiation, subhorizon approximation of part (c), the cosmological Poisson equation gives

From $y^{\prime }=y\mathcal{H}$ and part (b),The expanding branch has $y^{\prime }>0$. Applying the chain rule yieldsSubstitute these expressions and divide by $C(1+y)>0$:This is the Mészáros equation for $y>0$; it keeps radiation in the expansion rate and matter in the slowly varying self-gravity source.