Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2015 iii Paper 63 3 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
Write for the physical planet radius and for the debris-cloud radius; the source uses for both even though their stated size orderings are opposite. A central transit duration of a small planet on a nearly circular Kepler orbit is . Kepler's third law, with , givesA noncentral planetary exoplanet transit is shorter, so within the small-radius and nearly circular approximations, a duration requiringis too long for the planet alone and favors extended debris. For a central cloud transit with , the path length is approximately . Using the Hill radius gives , hence the Hill-cloud transit mass estimateThis equality assumes a central cloud chord. An orbit described merely as nearly edge-on need not have central cloud crossings. If its projected cloud impact distance is , the measured half-chord is , so the boxed mass is multiplied by . It is a lower estimate when that geometry is unknown.
For the dynamical calculation use , , and . The derivatives in the supplied Lagrange planetary equations hold the other osculating orbital elements fixed:Since , the physical mean-longitude equation for a first-order resonant term isThe source's epoch notation needs care when varies. Literally differentiating adds ; one cannot retain that definition and also identify the printed with . A consistent version writes and assigns the displayed correction to . Equivalently, the canonical mean-longitude equation for a first-order resonant term follows from the disturbing function directly. The result for is the intended physical equation under that convention.
Away from resonant-argument libration, neglect changes in on one slow cycle to this order. With the reference mean motion, the signed slow frequency isThis is the near-resonant transit-timing superperiod. Choose . Differentiating with the semi-major axis equation givesLet and . Direct integration giveswith zero initial mean longitude. The constant and linear terms are absorbed into the fitted transit ephemeris: the measured mean frequency is . This distinction avoids mistaking an arbitrary initial frequency for the long-term fitted period.
For , the double-integrated frequency term dominates the direct term provided stays finite. Relative to the fitted linear ephemeris, givesHere denotes the fitted mean period at the retained order. The signed-frequency convention fixes the phase sign. Replacing by changes the sign of the signed when needed; a nonnegative amplitude hasUsing a signed instead gives the source's signed proportionality . The leading implicit transit equation can equally use inside the sine, since the difference is higher order in the perturbation. This is the eccentricity-enhanced near-resonant transit-timing variation; its derivation assumes small longitude oscillations, at fixed resonance coefficients, and the effectively fixed eccentricity used in this truncated model. Dominance over forced-eccentricity timing terms typically also requires at fixed . A full transit calculation also includes forced orbital eccentricity and the conversion from mean longitude to the actual sky-crossing angle. Those are lower order in this eccentricity-enhanced regime, rather than identically absent; broader near-resonant formulas are derived by Lithwick, Xie and Wu.
Inside a mean-motion resonance, undergoes resonant-argument libration and its evolution must be solved together with . The constant circulation frequency and the associated expansion then fail. At approximately fixed eccentricity, the resonant resonant pendulum approximation has libration frequency of order , up to numerical factors. The transit-timing variation follows that libration period and depends on its libration amplitude of a resonant argument. Exactly at a resonant equilibrium there need be no libration signal; near a separatrix the period grows, and eccentricity dynamics can modify the simple estimate. Resonant amplitudes remain controlled by the bounded resonant motion rather than diverging as the circulating detuning tends to zero.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2016 iii Paper 315 4 g Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
A super-Earth is a planet more massive than Earth but below the usual ice-giant scale, conventionally about --. The term does not guarantee an Earth-like or rocky composition; water-rich planets and objects with small H/He envelopes can lie in this range.
The most direct constraints are transit radius and a mass from radial velocities or transit-timing variations, giving . Comparing these with interior models constrains the possible iron core, silicate mantle, water layer and gas envelope, but many mixtures share one mass and radius.
Additional observables include atmospheric spectra/mean molecular weight and escape signatures, which test whether a low-density envelope is H/He or heavier volatiles; stellar Fe/Mg/Si abundances as priors on refractory composition; and age, irradiation and orbital history, which control thermal expansion and envelope survival. Where measurable, a Love number or related apsidal response constrains central concentration. Mass and radius constrain families of interiors, not a unique composition; atmospheric and dynamical information can reduce this exoplanet interior-composition degeneracy.