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The cosmological continuity equation expresses conservation of dark-matter mass: $\delta$ is the density contrast, $\mathbf{v}$ is the peculiar velocity, and a prime denotes a conformal time derivative. The cosmological Euler equation expresses momentum conservation: $\mathcal{H}=a^{\prime }/a$ is the conformal Hubble rate, $\varphi$ is the peculiar gravitational potential, $\rho$ is the density, and ${\sigma }_{ij}$ is the velocity-dispersion tensor of collisionless matter. The terms are respectively Hubble drag, convective acceleration, gravity, and velocity-dispersion stress.

For curl-free flow, introduce the peculiar-velocity divergence $\theta =\nabla \cdot \mathbf{v}$ and set ${\sigma }_{ij}=0$. A Fourier transform of the nonlinear continuity term giveswith the alpha mode-coupling kernelTaking the divergence of the Euler equation gives the quadratic velocity kernelThis is the beta mode-coupling kernel; its symmetry follows from the two velocity factors.

The linearized cosmological continuity equation, the divergence of the cosmological Euler equation, and the cosmological Poisson equation giveEliminating $\theta =-{\delta }^{\prime }$ yields the equation for a linear cosmological density perturbation:In an Einstein-de Sitter universe, ${\Omega }_m=1$ and $\mathcal{H}=2/\tau$, soSubstitution of the power-law ansatz $\delta \propto {\tau }^p$ gives $(p-2)(p+3)=0$. HenceThe leading one of the matter-era growing and decaying density modes is $\delta \propto a\propto {\tau }^2$, as direct substitution confirms, and its velocity divergence is

Linearizing the cosmological Euler equation givesTaking the curl removes the gradient force, so the vorticity $\mathbf{w}=\nabla \times \mathbf{v}$ obeysSince $\mathcal{H}=a^{\prime }/a$, its solution isThus expansion dilutes linear vorticity; in an Einstein-de Sitter universe, $a\propto {\tau }^2$ and $\mathbf{w}\propto {\tau }^{-2}$.