Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2015 / iii / Paper 55 / 1

Use signature $(+---)$, the positive spatial metric ${\gamma }_{ij}$, and a future-directed unit normal $n_{\mu }=(N,0)$, so $n^{\mu }=N^{-1}(1,-N^i)$. This fixes the sign of the normal to agree with the specified $\Pi$. The negative normal covector printed in the source would instead give $-\Pi$; its orientation and the displayed derivative cannot both be retained. Use the operational negative-expansion convention for the extrinsic curvature of a spatial hypersurface, $K_{ij}=-({\dot{\gamma }}_{ij}-D_i{N}_j-D_j{N}_i)/(2N)$, which is the convention giving the requested expanding-universe sign. With this future normal and signature it equals $n_{i;j}$; the source's $-n_{i;j}$ identity instead uses its past-pointing normal.

For the scalar-field matter projections, put $s_i=D_i\varphi$ and $s^2={\gamma }^{ij}{s}_i{s}_j$. Decomposing the scalar gradient into normal and tangent parts gives ${\partial }_{\mu }\varphi {\partial }^{\mu }\varphi ={\Pi }^2-s^2$. Contracting the Klein-Gordon scalar stress-energy tensor with the normal and the spatial projection tensor therefore yieldsIn particular, the positive spatial metric raises the $i,j$ indices in $s^2$; raising them with the four-metric would reverse that spatial sign. These quantities are the energy density, momentum density and spatial stress in the normal frame.

For the homogeneous Spatially flat FLRW metric, $N_i=0$, ${\gamma }_{ij}=a^2{\delta }_{ij}$ and $s_i=0$. Consequently $\Pi =\dot{\bar{\varphi }}/\bar{N}$, $J_i=0$, $\bar{\rho }={\Pi }^2/2+V$, $\bar{P}={\Pi }^2/2-V$, andThe intrinsic Ricci scalar is zero and $K^2-K_{ij}{K}^{ij}=9H^2-3H^2=6H^2$. The Hamiltonian constraint thus gives the scalar-field Friedmann equation:The momentum constraint is identically satisfied, since its homogeneous spatial derivatives and $J_i$ vanish. The scalar equation reduces to ${\bar{N}}^{-1}\dot{\Pi }+3H\Pi +V_{,\varphi }=0$. Substituting $\Pi$ and multiplying by ${\bar{N}}^2$ gives the background inflaton equation of motion:No derivation of the supplied gravitational constraints is needed.

Write $\mathcal{D}={\bar{N}}^{-1}{\partial }_t$, $\bar{\Pi }=\mathcal{D}\bar{\varphi }$ and $\Delta =a^{-2}{\nabla }^2$. Since the background scalar has no spatial gradient,Also $\delta P=\bar{\Pi }\mathcal{D}\delta \varphi -{\bar{\Pi }}^2\Psi -V_{,\varphi }\delta \varphi$. These are the linearized scalar-field matter projections; gradient energy first contributes quadratically.

There is a source convention defect in the shear formula. For the stated positive shift $N_i=a^2{B}_{,i}$ and spatial metric with $+2E_{,ij}$, direct substitution into the extrinsic curvature gives the positive-shift scalar shear conventionThere is no extra Laplacian in the definition of ${\chi }_{+}$. Equivalently use $\chi =-{\chi }_{+}$: then the trace-free term has the printed minus sign and $\kappa =3(\mathcal{D}\Phi +H\Psi )-\Delta \chi$. This latter convention retains the printed momentum-constraint form. The source mixes these two choices.

At first order $\delta (K^2)=-6H\kappa$ and $\delta (K^i{}_j{K}^j{}_i)=-2H\kappa$. Combining their difference with $\delta {}^{(3)}R=4\Delta \Phi$ givesFor the momentum constraint, differentiating the tensor above givesFor nonzero Fourier wavenumber, and absorbing the homogeneous integration mode into the background, the consistent momentum constraint is

Linearizing the scalar equation, the shift-advection term and lapse-gradient times scalar-gradient term vanish at this order because the background is spatially homogeneous. The remaining equation isInsert $\delta \Pi$, differentiate its lapse term, and use $\mathcal{D}\bar{\Pi }+3H\bar{\Pi }=-V_{,\varphi }$. The two background-acceleration terms combine into $2\Psi V_{,\varphi }+3H\bar{\Pi }\Psi$. Hence the perturbed Klein-Gordon equation with background lapse isThis scalar evolution equation and the Hamiltonian constraint agree with the displayed targets after the shear conventions are repaired.

For $W=\bar{\rho }+\bar{P}\ne 0$, the conserved uniform-density curvature in the spatial-metric convention $1-2\Phi$ isThe source's plus sign in front of both terms is not gauge invariant and cannot yield the claimed conservation. Choosing the opposite overall sign, $\Phi -\delta \rho /(3W)$, is equally valid, but changing only one term is necessary. A passive time displacement $t\mapsto t+T$ gives $\tilde{\Phi }=\Phi +\bar{N}HT$ and $\widetilde{\delta \rho }=\delta \rho +3\bar{N}HWT$, so their combination above is unchanged. This is the uniform-density curvature sign test.

The lapse perturbation in the perturbed energy-conservation source is $\Psi$, not the spatial-curvature perturbation $\Phi$. Indeed the perturbation of the proper-time density derivative is $\mathcal{D}\delta \rho -\Psi \mathcal{D}\bar{\rho }$, while the normal expansion changes by $-\kappa$. The consistent equation isFor a constant barotropic equation of state, $\delta P=w\delta \rho$ and $\mathcal{D}W=-3H(1+w)W$. Differentiate ${\zeta }_{\mathrm{ud}}$ and cancel the density terms:More generally, $\delta P_{\mathrm{nad}}=\delta P-(\mathcal{D}\bar{P}/\mathcal{D}\bar{\rho })\delta \rho$ givesRegular scalar modes have gradient terms suppressed by $(k/aH{)}^2$. Thus adiabatic uniform-density curvature is conserved to leading order on superhorizon scales, ${\dot{\zeta }}_{\mathrm{ud}}\simeq 0$. This is a long-wavelength limit, not exact finite-wavenumber conservation; it assumes a regular gradient expansion and excludes $W=0$, where this variable is undefined. In contrast the literal printed variable obeys $\mathcal{D}{\zeta }_{\mathrm{printed}}=2\mathcal{D}\Phi +O(k^2)$ even after repairing the energy equation, and generally evolves across changes of the background equation of state.

There are three practical benefits. First, uniform-density curvature is gauge invariant, so matching it does not depend on coordinate slicing. Second, superhorizon conservation of uniform-density curvature transports primordial amplitudes through changes in the expansion history without solving each short-scale dynamical equation. Third, when a mode re-enters the horizon it supplies initial conditions for density growth and Cosmic microwave background anisotropy; non-adiabatic pressure is also an explicit diagnostic of when that simple transport fails.