Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 iii Paper 312 1 b i Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
Write , and retain only first-order scalar cosmological perturbations. The inverse induced metric and inverse lapse function areThe flat background spatial connection vanishes, and is already first order. ConsequentlyThe comma on matters: this is the gradient of the scalar shift vector potential, not an unrelated vector field. Substituting the time derivative of into the negative extrinsic curvature convention givesRaising the first index with the perturbed inverse induced metric is essential. Its and terms cancel the corresponding terms multiplying the background Hubble parameter, leavingFor the scalar shear potential , raised spatial derivatives mean to the required order. Thus the final term is . Taking the trace identifies the scalar expansion perturbation:Separating the trace and trace-free parts now yieldsAll signs follow from the source's shift vector convention and negative extrinsic curvature definition.