Stationary radiation density ($\rho N^4=C$)

The equation of state of isotropic blackbody radiation is $p=\rho /3$. The barotropic hydrostatic first integral gives $\rho N^4=C$. The Stefan–Boltzmann law $\rho \propto T^4$ then yields the Tolman–Ehrenfest relation $TN=\mathrm{constant}$. Here $N=\sqrt{|K^a{K}_a|}$ for the stationary timelike Killing vector field; its normalization only changes the constants.

A connected nonvacuum perfect fluid with equation of state $p=\rho /3$ obeys the stationary radiation density law $\rho =C/N^4$ with $C>0$. On a compact region of a regular spacetime, a smooth Killing vector field has bounded norm. Consequently $\rho$ cannot tend to zero at a finite regular free surface. A vanishing timelike norm instead makes the density diverge. A radiation-filled cavity can have a material wall with nonzero boundary pressure; this is a different boundary condition.