Momentum density 2026-10-06
Momentum density is momentum per unit physical volume. In a local orthonormal tetrad of the measuring observer it is . A perfect fluid in general relativity moving at a small velocity relative to that observer has to first order. For isotropic background photons, , so the factor is rather than . Integrating the kinetic stress-energy tensor gives .
Define the momentum density , lowering its spatial label with , so the mixed stress-energy tensor obeys and . All products of or its derivatives with are second order and must be dropped in linear cosmological perturbation theory.
For , the three terms in stress-energy conservation areHere the trace vanishes, , and . ThusFor , spatial pressure gradients vanish because this is a purely vector cosmological perturbation. The first two terms areIn the remaining contraction, the two background-connection times momentum density terms cancel:The other terms are and . ConsequentlyExpanding this conservation law and using the background cosmological continuity equation gives the equivalent peculiar velocity equation, when ,
The result is the background cosmological perfect-fluid continuity equation. For a comoving region of physical volume proportional to , it is preciselyexpressing local conservation of energy including the pressure-volume work done during cosmic expansion. A transverse vector field has no velocity divergence, and the vector spatial metric tensor has no trace perturbation, so neither produces a first-order compression or density change.
The spatial result is vector-fluid momentum dilution and integrates immediately:Thus, for any specified background perfect fluid,A statement about alone does not fix the velocity scaling independently of the equation of state. For constant equation-of-state parameter , the cosmological continuity equation gives and henceFor pressureless matter, and , exactly as in the Newtonian calculation in part (a). For radiation in cosmology, and the vector peculiar velocity remains constant, although its momentum density still falls as . More generally, for a barotropic perfect fluid with cosmological adiabatic sound speed , the equivalent equation is . The Newtonian damping law describes nonrelativistic inertia; it need not apply to a relativistic perfect fluid. A pure cosmological constant has and supplies no such fluid velocity degree of freedom.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2008 iii Paper 62 2 d Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
For a homogeneous scalar field, every spatial derivative vanishes. The stress-energy tensor consequently has no momentum density or directional stress:The only spatial tensor left is , so the stress is isotropic. This is the perfect fluid form in its comoving frame. Now expand the time component of stress-energy conservation using the covariant derivative:The first term is . In the second, only contributes, and , giving . The third isHere the quoted Christoffel symbols include their lower-index symmetry . Therefore the cosmological continuity equation isAs a check using the scalar field equation, , with exactly the same sign.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2016 iii Paper 308 1 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
Use the Minkowski metric with signature , and write . The Euler-Lagrange equation isFor the static phi-four kink, and , so the field equation is satisfied. The centre is arbitrary by translation invariance, and the hyperbolic tangent profile increases monotonically from to , crossing zero at . The static kink and its endpoint topological charge are
The phi-four kink rises between the two vacuum values and crosses zero at its centre
. Details. Both endpoint values are isolated classical vacua, since only at . A continuous finite-energy deformation preserving the vacuum boundary conditions cannot change either endpoint to the other isolated classical vacuum. The topological charge is therefore unchanged: this kink cannot deform into a homogeneous classical vacuum, whose charge is zero. There is also a direct Bogomolny bound in this sector. The square completion for a one-dimensional kink givesThe phi-four kink saturates the bound, so its mass is in these units and it minimizes the energy within its topological sector. Its arbitrary position is a collective coordinate, not an instability. A kink and an antikink together have total charge zero and can annihilate without contradicting the protection of an isolated kink.
For the momentum, the canonical stress-energy tensor of this scalar field isConsequently the physical spatial momentum density and the spatial momentum flux areThe sign of makes a right-moving translated kink carry positive momentum. Direct use of the field equation, rather than an assumed static field, yields the scalar-field momentum flux identityThe finite-energy field configuration has by . Integrating the stress-energy conservation law over the left half-line gives the boundary forceUnder the usual vacuum falloff, the stress at the left endpoint is zero. More generally, smooth spatial cutoffs with derivative of order remove the left endpoint using the integrable energy density, so no pointwise limit of every derivative at infinity is needed. The identity expresses the force on the field to the left of : positive force transfers momentum to the right. For well separated solitons, a cut between them measures the interaction force on the left soliton.
Take that cut at . The specified symmetric pair has, at the initial time,The printed field profile does not itself specify the initial velocity. If , the exact initial half-line force isFor the intended initially resting pair, or more generally , put and use . The at-rest force for a symmetric phi-four pair isThe leading force is attractive, towards the antikink:The antikink feels the opposite force by the symmetry of the resting pair. This is an initial, large-separation interaction calculation, not a claim that the superposed profile is an exact static two-soliton solution. Without the initial-velocity condition, the additional momentum flux above prevents a unique force from being inferred from the printed profile alone.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 iii Paper 312 2 i Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
Use a local orthonormal tetrad and units in which the speed of light is one. A particle has four-momentum and moves with velocity . Thus its energy density contributes , its momentum density contributes , and its momentum flux contributes . Integrating the phase-space distribution function gives the kinetic stress-energy tensor. The measure is the future mass-shell Lorentz-invariant phase-space measure, so the same expression transforms as a spacetime stress-energy tensor; fixed state-counting or polarization factors are understood to be included in .
Define . The photon momentum measure is , so every component of the kinetic stress-energy tensor has a radial factor . An isotropic background has and . HenceThis radiation pressure equation of state requires isotropy and masslessness, not a thermal spectrum.
The distribution perturbation is . Assume finite energy density and endpoint behavior at zero and infinity, as for the Planck photon distribution. Integration by parts then givesConsequently the perturbed energy density and momentum density areSince , the photon angular temperature moments give and .
The sign of anisotropic stress must be specified. Direct kinetic integration gives the conventional trace-free spatial stress . The PDF uses the opposite sign, , equivalently . With that convention, all requested moments areTaking the spatial trace also givesThe angular temperature description assumes is independent of photon energy; independent spectral distortions would require additional energy-dependent moments.
Past exam of the relativity course of the University of Cambridge 2016 Paper 1 3 Solution 2026-10-20
Use signature , coordinates and four-velocity normalized by . The derivative is the metric-compatible Levi-Civita connection. Fix the curvature sign by . Then the required contractions areWith , the contracted Bianchi identity gives . The Einstein field equations , with constant , therefore require covariant conservation of stress-energy. This is a consistency relation between geometry and the total matter/field source. It does not mean in arbitrary coordinates, nor guarantee a global conserved energy in an arbitrary curved spacetime. The geometric identity alone, without the field equations or matter dynamics, is not an equation of motion for a freely specified material source.
For relativistic dust, is proper rest-mass density, measured in the fluid rest frame, and is its timelike four-velocity with the normalization above. In a local Cartesian inertial frame , soAccordingly is momentum density and is energy flux in direction . The equality of momentum-density and energy-flux components after the appropriate factors of reflects the symmetry of the stress-energy tensor. In the comoving frame the spatial stress is zero, as required for pressureless matter.
Expand the dust conservation equation by the product rule:Contract with . metric compatibility and constant normalization give , leaving . Substitute this rest-mass continuity law back and divide by nonzero :This proves geodesic motion of uncharged dust along each fluid flow line. pressure forces or another exchange of momentum would change the argument; at zero density there is no dust worldline to constrain.
The electromagnetic field tensor is antisymmetric and has six independent components. In the stated local inertial coordinates choose and , givingThe fields are those measured by that local observer; changing observer mixes them through the Lorentz transformation of . With and , two independent quadratic contractions areThe second is a pseudoscalar: it is invariant under proper Lorentz transformations and changes sign under an orientation reversal. Opposite choices for the orientation tensor change its written sign. A nonzero null electromagnetic field can have both contractions zero, so the two numbers do not determine whether the tensor itself vanishes.
For charged relativistic dust, insert into the force-density equation:Contraction with again gives the continuity law, because by antisymmetry. After removing the continuity term,In a local inertial frame the spatial components reduce to and the temporal component gives . This is the relativistic Lorentz force, with gravity represented by the connection. The force is orthogonal to and preserves the rest-mass normalization. Matter alone now exchanges energy and momentum with the electromagnetic field; adding the field tensor's stress-energy restores zero divergence of the combined source.
Past exam of the relativity course of the University of Cambridge 2019 Section B B4 Solution 2026-10-18
Use signature and local inertial coordinates . Write and , where is rest mass density. The perfect fluid in general relativity has componentsHere is energy density, is energy flux, is momentum density, and is the flux of the th momentum component through a surface normal to . In the local rest frame these reduce to energy density , zero energy and momentum flow, and isotropic pressure . The equation expresses local stress-energy conservation. Its temporal and spatial components give energy and momentum balance; in flat coordinates, for example, .
For relativistic dust, . Contracting its divergence with , and using metric compatibility together with , givesConsequently . Substituting this continuity equation back into the divergence leaves . Wherever matter is present,so the individual particles follow geodesics.
The electromagnetic four-force law must preserve the particle's rest mass. Thus , and requiring this for arbitrary timelike four-velocities makes the electromagnetic field tensor antisymmetric. Its six independent components comprise the electric field and magnetic field. With the stated signature and , one consistent convention isIt gives the spatial force and energy transfer . Under a Lorentz transformation, transforms as a rank-two contravariant tensor; its electric and magnetic components consequently mix. A four-potential supplies , unchanged by . The Maxwell equations areThese combine the source equations and the homogeneous equations into covariant tensor statements; is the four-current.
For charged relativistic dust, the matter tensor exchanges four-momentum with the electromagnetic field: , while their total stress-energy tensor is conserved. Identical particles of rest mass and electric charge have . Contraction with again gives mass continuity because . Removing that term givesUsing zero divergence for the matter tensor alone in this last step would omit the electromagnetic Lorentz force.
Rectangular-aperture momentum variance 2026-10-25
A normalized hard rectangular spatial wavefunction has a sinc-squared momentum density. Its central lobe has finite first-zero width , but its second momentum moment diverges. Thus that diffraction width is not a finite rms uncertainty. Smooth-edge states can have finite moments and satisfy the usual uncertainty inequality without this idealization.
Vector-fluid momentum dilution 2026-10-25
In linear cosmological perturbation theory, an unsourced vector cosmological perturbation of a perfect fluid in synchronous gauge obeys stress-energy conservation in the form , where is the momentum density, the conformal Hubble parameter, and the prime a conformal time derivative. Its conserved quantity is . For constant equation-of-state parameter , the background cosmological continuity equation gives . Thus a pressureless matter vector velocity falls as , while a radiation vector velocity is constant. This statement assumes vanishing vector anisotropic stress and no momentum exchange with another component.
