Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2009 / ii / Paper 4 / 10D / a / Solution

Take velocities relative to a comoving observer at $O$. Spatial homogeneity means that changing the observer to $A$ gives the same relative velocity law, soWith $O$ as origin this implies $v(0)=0$ and $v(a+b)=v(a)+v(b)$. A physical velocity field is continuous; additivity first gives rational homogeneity and then, by continuity, real homogeneity. Hencewith coefficients independent of position. Without a regularity assumption, the additive functional equation alone admits non-linear pathological solutions; continuity is the usual implicit velocity-field assumption.

Isotropy requires $v(Rr)=Rv(r)$ for every spatial rotation, or $HR=RH$. Rotations about $e_i$ force $H{e}_i$ to be parallel to $e_i$, and rotations exchanging coordinate directions force those diagonal coefficients to agree. Therefore $H_{ij}=H{\delta }_{ij}$ and $\boxed{v=Hr}$, the Hubble law.

Allow $H=H(t)$. Solving $\dot{r}=H(t)r$ gives $r(t)=a(t)x$ for a constant comoving coordinate $x$, where $a(t)=a(t_0)\exp ({\int }_{t_0}^{t}H(s)ds)$. Thus $\boxed{H=\dot{a}/a}$, with $a$ the scale factor.