 Solution

For a material volume, mass conservation is $d{\int }_{V(t)}\rho dV/dt=0$. The transport theorem and arbitrariness of that volume give $\boxed{{\rho }_t+\nabla \cdot (\rho u)=0}$. Balance of linear momentum includes the pressure traction and body force:Apply transport, the divergence theorem and the mass equation to obtainFor small perturbations of the uniform resting barotropic state, write $\rho ={\rho }_0+{\rho }^{\prime }$, $p=p_0+c_0^2{\rho }^{\prime }+\cdots$. Linearized mass and momentum areTaking the curl shows that initially vanishing vorticity remains zero, so the acoustic velocity has a potential $u=\nabla \varphi$. Integrating momentum, using the additive freedom of a velocity potential to remove the spatially constant integration term, gives ${\rho }^{\prime }=-({\rho }_0/c_0^2){\varphi }_t$. Continuity now yields $\boxed{{\varphi }_{tt}=c_0^2{\nabla }^2\varphi }$.

For spherical symmetry, set $\varphi =e^{-i\omega t}F(r)$ and $k=\omega /c_0$. The radial equation is $(r^2{F}^{\prime }{)}^{\prime }+k^2{r}^{2}F=0$, or $(rF{)}^{\prime \prime }+k^2(rF)=0$. HenceRigid boundaries require radial velocity $F^{\prime }=0$ at both radii. A form automatically satisfying the condition at $a$ isAt $b$, the condition $b(rF{)}^{\prime }-(rF)=0$ becomesTherefore the nonzero oscillatory eigenfrequencies obeyThe undivided sine-cosine form avoids artificial issues from dividing by a cosine. The formal $k=0$ root is the spatially constant zero-frequency potential additive freedom of a velocity potential, not a propagating acoustic oscillation. This is the radial acoustic spectrum between rigid concentric spheres.