Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2008 / iii / Paper 62 / 2 / d

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 ${\delta }^{ij}$, 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 $\dot{\rho }$. In the second, only $\lambda =0$ contributes, and ${\sum }_i{\Gamma }^i{}_{i0}=3H$, giving $3H\rho$. The third isHere the quoted Christoffel symbols include their lower-index symmetry ${\Gamma }^i{}_{j0}={\Gamma }^i{}_{0j}$. Therefore the cosmological continuity equation isAs a check using the scalar field equation, $\dot{\rho }=\dot{\varphi }(\ddot{\varphi }+V_{,\varphi })=-3H{\dot{\varphi }}^2=-3H(\rho +P)$, with exactly the same sign.