Paper 4, Section I, C

Cosmology
Part II, 2017

(a) By considering a spherically symmetric star in hydrostatic equilibrium derive the pressure support equation

dPdr=GM(r)ρr2,\frac{d P}{d r}=-\frac{G M(r) \rho}{r^{2}},

where rr is the radial distance from the centre of the star, M(r)M(r) is the stellar mass contained inside that radius, and P(r)P(r) and ρ(r)\rho(r) are the pressure and density at radius rr respectively.

(b) Propose, and briefly justify, boundary conditions for this differential equation, both at the centre of the star r=0r=0, and at the stellar surface r=Rr=R.

Suppose that P=Kρ2P=K \rho^{2} for some K>0K>0. Show that the density satisfies the linear differential equation

1x2x(x2ρx)=ρ\frac{1}{x^{2}} \frac{\partial}{\partial x}\left(x^{2} \frac{\partial \rho}{\partial x}\right)=-\rho

where x=αrx=\alpha r, for some constant α\alpha, is a rescaled radial coordinate. Find α\alpha.