Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2007 / iii / Paper 64 / 3

The comoving observer measures $E=a{p}^0$, so $q=aE=a^2{p}^0$. Write $\mathcal{H}=a^{\prime }/a$. The null geodesic condition impliesThe time component of the geodesic equation, using $d\tau /d\lambda =p^0$, is thereforeDifferentiate $q=a^2{p}^0$. The homogeneous expansion terms cancel:At zeroth order $p^i/p^0=n^i$, with ${\delta }_{ij}{n}^i{n}^j=1$. The difference between coordinate velocity and physical unit direction is already first order and multiplies $h^{\prime }$, so it can be discarded in this expression. We obtain the synchronous photon momentum redshiftIn the unperturbed universe $q$ is constant and physical photon energy redshifts as $a^{-1}$; the displayed term is the additional anisotropic first-order redshift.

To check the direction, let $v^i=p^i/p^0$. Combining the spatial and temporal geodesic equations cancels their homogeneous Hubble terms and givesEvery remaining connection or explicit metric-derivative term is first order. A local orthonormal spatial frame defines the physical unit vector by $n^i=v^i+\frac{1}{2}{h}^i{}_j{v}^j+O(h^2)$. Its derivative adds only first-order terms, soConsequently direction deflection multiplied by an already first-order temperature anisotropy is second order. The first-order brightness calculation may use a straight unperturbed ray without neglecting the first-order gravitational frequency change.

Before decoupling, rapid Thomson scattering makes the photon distribution nearly isotropic in the local photon-fluid rest frame. A local blackbody temperature perturbation changes its energy density by ${\delta }_{\gamma }=4\delta T/T$. A first-order boost by the fluid velocity adds a temperature photon dipole $\mathbf{n}\cdot \mathbf{v}$; it does not generate a photon quadrupole until second order in that boost. Thus the photon brightness perturbation at instantaneous decoupling isHigher angular moments are suppressed by the photon mean-free-path to perturbation-length ratio in the tight-coupling approximation. The idealized equilibrium assumption neglects those finite-mean-free-path corrections, polarization effects and finite thickness of the last-scattering surface. It is not an assertion that collisionless photons remain isotropic after decoupling. The distinction between a fluid treatment and the subsequent hierarchy is discussed in the primary synchronous and Newtonian perturbation treatment.

Let $\mu =\hat{\mathbf{k}}\cdot \mathbf{n}$ and $W(\tau )=e^{ik\mu (\tau -{\tau }_0)}$. Multiplication of the synchronous photon brightness equation by its integrating factor givesIntegration from ${\tau }_{\ast }={\tau }_{\mathrm{dec}}$ to ${\tau }_0$ and division by four yieldFor the real-space observation point ${\mathbf{x}}_0$, the corresponding background ray is $\mathbf{x}(\tau )={\mathbf{x}}_0-\mathbf{n}({\tau }_0-\tau )$. Fourier inversion gives the synchronous Sachs-Wolfe line-of-sight formulaEvery source is evaluated at its appropriate point on the ray, rather than at the observation position. Here $\mathbf{n}$ is photon propagation direction, opposite to the outward observer-to-source sky direction; changing that convention changes the written sign of the Doppler projection consistently.

The first term is the intrinsic photon temperature at last scattering. On wavelengths larger than the sound horizon, it retains primordial adiabatic information; inside that horizon the photon-baryon fluid has acoustic energy density oscillations, producing the acoustic temperature peaks. The second term is the Doppler effect from the fluid's bulk motion at emission. A regular long-wavelength velocity is gradient-suppressed; the Doppler contribution is important near and below the acoustic horizon, with its acoustic phase displaced from that of the energy density oscillation.

The integral is the gravitational energy shift produced by the changing spatial metric tensor along the photon path. In synchronous gauge it includes endpoint gravitational redshifts as well as evolving-potential effects. It must not be identified solely with the Integrated Sachs-Wolfe effect: in Newtonian gauge the same total separates into the ordinary last-scattering Sachs-Wolfe effect, local observer terms, and an integral of time-varying potentials. The ordinary contribution is important on scales outside the sound horizon at decoupling. A late integrated contribution is strongest on large angular scales when dark energy or curvature changes the potentials; evolution around matter-radiation equality also contributes near the first acoustic scales.

The relevant comoving sound scale is $r_s({\tau }_{\ast })={\int }^{{\tau }_{\ast }}{c}_s(\tau )d\tau$, while the projection distance is $D_{\ast }\simeq {\tau }_0-{\tau }_{\ast }$. Modes project roughly to photon temperature multipole $\ell \sim k{D}_{\ast }$, and the acoustic scale is $\ell \sim D_{\ast }/r_s$, with successive peak spacing of order $\pi D_{\ast }/r_s$. At much shorter wavelengths Silk damping and the finite last-scattering thickness suppress energy density and velocity anisotropies; the instantaneous-decoupling approximation alone does not model that cutoff. These scale distinctions explain why the three terms cannot be assigned one common range of important wavelengths.

Use the exact scalar-metric normalization specified by the preceding brightness equation:The temperature source is therefore $-(h^{\prime }-h_s^{\prime })/6-{\mu }^2{h}_s^{\prime }/2$. Let $W=e^{ik\mu (\tau -{\tau }_0)}$, so $W^{\prime }=ik\mu W$ and $W^{\prime \prime }=-k^2{\mu }^{2}W$. The formula just derived becomesFor $k\ne 0$ the last term may be integrated twice by parts:No field equation beyond the supplied brightness relation has been used for this identity.

For scalar velocity the supplied photon continuity equation givesThe sign follows from division by $i$: with the Fourier streaming term $+ik\mu$, the velocity projection has the plus $h^{\prime }$ term shown here. Combining it with the lower endpoint from the integrations by parts gives the complete endpoint terms in the synchronous Sachs-Wolfe formula:The local observer bracket is an angular photon monopole plus photon dipole. Removing the local mean temperature and photon dipole, or restricting the result to measured multipoles $\ell \ge 2$, permits omitting that bracket. It must be retained for the literal full brightness amplitude. The $k=0$ limit should be taken in the original line-of-sight integral, rather than treating the separate inverse-$k$ endpoint terms as independently defined.

The final target formula printed in the PDF does not follow from its preceding equations. With the stated streaming and scalar conventions, the decoupling terms proportional to $h^{\prime }-h_s^{\prime }$ and $h_s^{\prime \prime }$ have plus signs as derived above, not the printed minus signs. Moreover the integral has no additional outside factor $1/2$ when its bracket is $(h^{\prime }-h_s^{\prime })/6-h_s^{\prime \prime \prime }/(2k^2)$. Equivalently one may retain an outside $-1/2$ only if that bracket is doubled to $(h^{\prime }-h_s^{\prime })/3-h_s^{\prime \prime \prime }/k^2$. Omitting the observer photon monopole and photon dipole does not fix these discrepancies.

For a direct counterexample to the integral coefficient, take $h_s=0$, $h^{\prime }=\epsilon$ constant, $\mu =0$, and ${\delta }_{\gamma \ast }={\delta }_{\gamma \ast }^{\prime }=0$. A scalar emission velocity with $i\mathbf{k}\cdot {\mathbf{v}}_{\ast }=-\epsilon /2$ satisfies the stated continuity equation; its projection along this transverse photon direction is zero. Keep $\epsilon ({\tau }_0-{\tau }_{\ast })\ll 1$ so perturbation theory is valid. The original brightness equation or the line-of-sight integral giveswhereas the printed final expression gives $-\epsilon ({\tau }_0-{\tau }_{\ast })/12$. All $h_s$ observer terms vanish in this example, so an observer-term convention cannot remove the contradiction. The boxed corrected identity supplies the requested integration-by-parts result with every boundary contribution and its observable higher-multipole version specified.