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The equilibrium isothermal equation of state is $p=c_s^2\rho$. Hydrostatic equilibrium gives $p_z=-\rho {\Omega }^{2}z$, henceHere $\Omega \ne 0$ is assumed. This is the same local harmonic-gravity balance as isothermal vertical structure in stellar gravity.

For $\gamma >1$, this equilibrium is stably stratified under adiabatic fluid perturbations. Its squared buoyancy frequency isA general perturbation can therefore support acoustic waves restored by compression and internal gravity waves restored by buoyancy, with nonoscillatory entropy or vortical disturbances also possible. The prescribed velocity is purely vertical and horizontally uniform. It describes vertical acoustic waves; it does not contain the horizontally varying circulation required for an oscillatory internal-gravity branch. For zero horizontal wavenumber, that branch has zero frequency. An isothermal equilibrium must not be confused with an isothermal perturbation: the latter would remove the buoyancy restoring force.

Introduce the fluid Lagrangian displacement $\xi (z)e^{i\sigma t}$, so $w=i\sigma \xi$. Use $\delta \rho ,\delta p$ for fluid Eulerian perturbations and $\Delta \rho ,\Delta p$ for fluid Lagrangian perturbations. The continuity equation and the adiabatic relation areThe fixed external gravitational potential is not perturbed. The vertical linearized Euler equations consequently giveSubstituting the preceding relations, and using $p_z=-\rho g$ and $p_{zz}=-{\rho }_{z}g-\rho g_z$, reduces its right-hand side toSince $g={\Omega }^{2}z$ and $g_z={\Omega }^2$, the same equation holds for $w$:The rigid fixed base supplies the essential condition $w(0)=0$. At infinity the condition is finite kinetic energy, not bounded velocity amplitude; a polynomial can grow while the Gaussian mass density makes its energy finite.

Put $x=z/H$ and $\lambda =({\sigma }^2/{\Omega }^2-1)/\gamma$. The equation becomes the Hermite differential equation in its probabilists' convention,For $w={\sum }_{j\ge 0}{a}_j{x}^j$, its recurrence isThe base condition makes $a_0=0$ and therefore every even coefficient zero. An odd series terminates at degree $2n+1$ when $\lambda =2n+1$. It remains to prove that a nonterminating odd solution cannot have finite energy; termination alone would not establish the requested exhaustion of modes.

For that purpose, set $y=e^{-x^2/4}w$. The finite-energy condition is $y\in L^2(0,\infty )$, and its equation isBecause the coefficients are even and the solution is odd at the base, extend $y$ oddly to the whole real line. Define lowering and raising operatorsIntegration by parts gives $\Vert ay{\Vert }^2=\lambda \Vert y{\Vert }^2$, so $\lambda \ge 0$. These identities apply to the square-integrable solution: multiplying its equation by a compactly cut off conjugate and taking larger cutoffs bounds $y^{\prime }$ and $xy$ in $L^2$, and removes the endpoint terms. The same argument applies to each lowered eigenfunction.

If $\lambda$ is not a nonnegative integer, repeatedly apply $a$. Each application lowers $\lambda$ by one and remains nonzero whenever its current value is positive, by the norm identity. After finitely many applications it would yield a nonzero square-integrable eigenfunction with negative $\lambda$, contradicting that identity. Thus $\lambda =N$ is a nonnegative integer. At $N=0$, $ay=0$ gives $y\propto e^{-x^2/4}$, which is even. Lowering reverses parity, so an initially odd eigenfunction can reach this even ground state only if $N$ is odd. Consequently $N=2n+1$. The recurrence then terminates and uniquely determines the odd solution from $a_1$.

The complete adiabatic vertical modes of a Gaussian atmosphere are thereforeHere ${\mathrm{He}}_j$ is the Probabilists' Hermite polynomial. For example the first shapes are $x$, $x^3-3x$, and $x^5-10x^3+15x$, with frequencies squared ${\Omega }^2(1+\gamma )$, ${\Omega }^2(1+3\gamma )$, and ${\Omega }^2(1+5\gamma )$. Either sign of each real frequency gives a time-harmonic solution. Gaussian moments make every displayed polynomial have finite kinetic energy. Without the fixed-base condition, finite energy alone would also admit even polynomials, which is why that condition is necessary.

In a thin disk dominated by a central stellar mass, the vertical gravitational potential is harmonic to leading order, so its vertical acceleration is $-{\Omega }_0^{2}z$. For a locally isothermal background, $p=c_s^2\rho$ with $c_s$ independent of height. Vertical hydrostatic equilibrium therefore givesThis is the isothermal vertical structure in stellar gravity. On the upper half of the disk the downward gravity magnitude is $g={\Omega }_0^{2}z>0$; the density profile extends evenly through the midplane.

For an adiabatically displaced parcel kept in pressure equilibrium, the parcel's logarithmic density gradient is ${\gamma }^{-1}d\log p/dz$, whereas the environmental density gradient is $d\log \rho /dz$. A small upward displacement $\eta$ consequently produces a density contrast $\delta \rho /\rho =[{\gamma }^{-1}d\log p/dz-d\log \rho /dz]\eta$. Its buoyancy acceleration is $-g\delta \rho /\rho =-N^2\eta$. Thus the Brunt–Väisälä frequency isBoth background gradients equal $-z/H^2$ in the isothermal atmosphere, soAn isothermal background is therefore stably stratified for adiabatic perturbations with $\gamma >1$, but not buoyant for isothermal perturbations. In applying the adiabatic equation of state to a stratified atmosphere, its proportionality relates Lagrangian parcel changes: $\Delta p=(\gamma p/\rho )\Delta \rho$. Eulerian perturbations generally obey $p^{\prime }+\eta p_z=(\gamma p/\rho )({\rho }^{\prime }+\eta {\rho }_z)$ instead. Thus the printed simple proportionality must be interpreted as a parcel relation for the buoyancy calculation. For $\gamma =1$ in this isothermal background, the gradient terms cancel and the Eulerian proportionality holds too.

Now take isothermal perturbations, so $\gamma =1$ and $N^2=0$. The two supplied wave equations reduce toFor the nonsingular oscillatory case $\omega \ne 0$ and ${\omega }^2\ne {\Omega }_0^2$, substitute $u_z={\xi }_z/{\omega }^2$. With $x=z/H$, the resulting Hermite differential equation isThe exceptional frequencies must be treated through the original velocity-pressure equations rather than division by these factors.

The physical vertical condition is finite perturbation energy when integrated with the Gaussian density. In particular the pressure contribution is proportional to $\int e^{-x^2/2}|\xi {|}^{2}dx$ for nonzero frequency. Generic nonterminating solutions have an exponentially growing component at at least one vertical end and fail this condition; acceptable modes are the terminating Hermite polynomials. This is a finite-energy condition, not pointwise boundedness of the velocity in the vanishing-density atmosphere.

To prove the allowed values of $\alpha$, let the nonzero polynomial have degree $n$ and leading coefficient $a_n$. The highest power in ${\xi }_{xx}-x{\xi }_x+\alpha \xi$ has coefficient $(\alpha -n)a_n$. Hence $\alpha =n\in \{0,1,2,\dots \}$. Conversely, writing $\xi ={\sum }_j{a}_j{x}^j$ gives the recurrenceFor $\alpha =n$, choose the parity of $n$ and iterate until the series terminates at degree $n$. Thus all allowed Hermite vertical modes of an isothermal disk havewhere ${\mathrm{He}}_n$ is the Probabilists' Hermite polynomial. In particular, ${\mathrm{He}}_0=1$ and ${\mathrm{He}}_1=x$.

Let $K=kH$ and $s={\omega }^2/{\Omega }_0^2$. Eliminating the denominator for regular modes givesFor $n=0$, the nonzero-frequency solution isIts pressure variable is independent of height and $u_z=0$. These are inertial-acoustic waves, restored by epicyclic motion and pressure; at short radial wavelength they become ordinary acoustic waves. The multiplied dispersion polynomial also has $s=0$. This is not an extra oscillatory solution represented by nonzero $\xi$, since $\xi =i\omega p^{\prime }/\rho$ vanishes at zero frequency for finite pressure perturbation. The full horizontal equations have a zero-frequency balanced mode of an axisymmetric disk, with no radial velocity and azimuthal Coriolis acceleration balancing a radial pressure gradient. It must be recovered without dividing by $\omega$, rather than counted as a propagating wave. At $k=0$, the propagating branch limits to an epicyclic oscillation at $|\omega |={\Omega }_0$, another value at which the eliminated form must be interpreted by a limit.

For $n=1$, solve $(s-1{)}^2=K^{2}s$. The two branches areBoth signs of frequency occur on each squared-frequency branch. The upper branch is acoustic in the large-$|K|$ limit, $|{\omega }_{+}|\sim |k|c_s$; the lower branch is an inertial wave with $|{\omega }_{-}|\sim {\Omega }_0/|K|$. At $|K|\ll 1$, both frequencies approach ${\Omega }_0$, reflecting the equality of the radial and vertical epicyclic frequencies in a Keplerian disk. Here $\xi \propto z$, so $u_z={\xi }_z/{\omega }^2$ is independent of height: these modes have a coherent vertical displacement of the disk column, rather than a vertical breathing motion.

For a local non-axisymmetric disturbance proportional to $e^{i(kR+m\varphi -\omega t)}$, the material frequency is $\hat{\omega }=\omega -m{\Omega }_0$. In the same local radial-wave approximation, replace $\omega$ by $\hat{\omega }$. For $n=1,m=1$, this givesThe four frequencies can equivalently be written $\omega /{\Omega }_0=1\pm (\sqrt{K^2+4}\pm |K|)/2$, with independent choices of the two signs. This is a local dispersion relation, not a claim that Doppler substitution supplies an exact global non-axisymmetric solution in a differentially rotating disk. The radial-wave ordering neglects azimuthal gradients compared with radial gradients; $|k|R\gg 1$ can coexist with $|k|H\ll 1$ in a thin disk.

Write $w=\omega /{\Omega }_0$. For the two low inertial-frame frequency branches, $|w|\ll 1$, while the material frequency remains near $-{\Omega }_0$. Expanding the dispersion relation givesThereforeFor signed $k$, the two leading branches are conventionally labelled by $\pm kH/2$. These are bending waves of a Keplerian disk: an $m=1$ vertical displacement varies once around an annulus and corresponds to a small tilt of its orbital plane. A radial variation of the tilt is a warp. The waves transport the warp radially at group speeds $c_s/2$ in opposite directions. At zero radial wavenumber their low-frequency limit is a stationary rigid tilt; the apparent slow pattern does not mean that the orbiting gas has slow vertical motion in its own frame.