Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2004 iii Paper 63 2 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
Write for the direction cosine and for the radiative transfer source function. Integrating the radiative transfer equation over solid angle givesRadiative equilibrium makes the radiative flux constant, so .
For , the radiation-field moments areConsequently the Eddington closure approximation holds. Substituting into the radiative transfer equation, with , gives . Equality for every requires and , with . The stipulated inward hemispheric radiative flux at the surface isPutting this equal to zero fixes , hence . Using and the effective temperature definition gives the grey atmosphere lawThe positivity limitation of a linear Eddington intensity matters here: the formal surface intensity is negative for . Thus this angular ansatz gives the requested Eddington surface boundary condition for approximate moments; vanishing integrated inward flux is not an exact, nonnegative, pointwise no-incoming radiation field.
Neglecting radiation pressure, the stellar hydrostatic equation and the definition of optical depth give hydrostatic equilibrium in optical depth, . Since , putting givesTaking and , the grey-atmosphere pressure with power-law opacity is thereforeThe pressure formula printed in the PDF is missing the factor . Differentiating its right-hand side would otherwise give . For the correct limit is .
At the specified matching location, the luminosity relation makes , hence , and . Multiplying the corrected pressure relation by givesThis agrees with the PDF's final surface boundary condition for a power-law-opacity grey atmosphere. It also extends to negative wherever the model applies; at , its continuous limit is .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2012 iii Paper 63 2 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
Write , and use axial symmetry. The radiative flux is . Integrating the radiative transfer equation over directions givesThere are no energy sources in the atmosphere, so radiative equilibrium makes constant. Consequently
For the linear angular approximation , the radiation-field moments areThus it satisfies the Eddington closure approximation, andSince is constant, . Substitution in the radiative transfer equation, using , gives , hence .
In this moment approximation, the inward hemispheric flux at the surface isSetting this boundary moment to zero gives . ThereforeCombining it with the thermal source function and gives the grey atmosphere temperature law:
The surface condition is an approximate angular-moment condition. If the affine intensity were interpreted as an exact nonnegative boundary radiation field, no incident radiation would require for every ; a linear polynomial vanishing on that interval would have and no outward flux either. The derived formal profile indeed has . This positivity limitation of a linear Eddington intensity is why one uses the Eddington surface boundary condition as a moment closure, not the affine ansatz as an exact emergent angular intensity. An outward direction-independent intensity with no inward intensity gives the same boundary moments.
For the gas-pressure-dominated atmosphere, combine with . Thus the hydrostatic equilibrium in optical depth is . Let . The grey atmosphere law implies . With the specified power-law opacity,At the outer vacuum limit take and . Since , integration givesThis is the grey-atmosphere pressure with power-law opacity relation.
At the matching radius the local radiative flux is . In the thin plane-parallel atmosphere approximation this equals , so and . Multiplying the pressure relation by yields the required surface pressure-opacity relationHere is a product, not a pressure subscript.