Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 ii Paper 3 13C b Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-05
For the initially homogeneous sphere, and . Conservation of energy and the virial theorem imply , hence . With the usual homologous-sphere approximation, , soThese are the conventional collapse estimates. A final virial equilibrium is not, by itself, guaranteed to remain homogeneous: if , the actual relation is with . Thus the factor of two applies exactly to the gravitational radius, and to the outer radius only under the stated structural approximation.
Here “non-interacting” means collisionless apart from gravity. Baryonic gas can collide, convert ordered motion to thermal energy, and radiate it. If radiative cooling is effective, the fixed-energy virial state loses pressure support and contracts further. Baryonic cooling can destabilize the collisionless virial state; baryons are not inevitably unstable if cooling is slow or heating and pressure support maintain equilibrium.