Paper 1, Section I, E

Cosmology | Part II, 2014

Which particle states are expected to be relativistic and which interacting when the temperature TT of the early universe satisfies (i) 1010 K<T<5×1010 K10^{10} \mathrm{~K}<T<5 \times 10^{10} \mathrm{~K}, (ii) 5×109 K<T<1010 K5 \times 10^{9} \mathrm{~K}<T<10^{10} \mathrm{~K}, (iii) T<5×109 KT<5 \times 10^{9} \mathrm{~K} ?

Calculate the total spin weight factor, gg_{*}, of the relativistic particles and the total spin weight factor, gIg_{I}, of the interacting particles, in each of the three temperature intervals.

What happens when the temperature falls below 5×109 K?5 \times 10^{9} \mathrm{~K} ? Calculate the ratio of the temperatures of neutrinos and photons. Find the effective value of gg_{*} after the universe cools below this temperature. [Note that the equilibrium entropy density is given by s=(ρc2+P)/Ts=\left(\rho c^{2}+P\right) / T, where ρ\rho is the density and PP is the pressure.]

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