Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2006 iii Paper 62 1 b Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
In proper-time gauge the particle Lagrangian is , now with dots referring to proper time . The canonical spatial momentum isThe FRW metric is independent of all spatial coordinates. Hence and the Euler-Lagrange equation gives . This conserved quantity is the comoving momentum.
The mass-shell mass shell constraint gives . For future-directed motion and proper peculiar velocity , it follows that . ThereforeThe kinetic momentum here is the physical momentum in an FRW universe, measured in the orthonormal frame of a comoving observer. It redshifts as irrespective of whether the particle is relativistic or nonrelativistic.