Linear density modes with polytropic pressure

In a flat matter-dominated universe with $a\propto t^{2/3}$ and $P\propto {\rho }^{4/3}$, the squared sound speed scales as $t^{-2/3}$. Each comoving Fourier mode then satisfies an Euler-Cauchy equation, with gravitational growth at long wavelengths and logarithmic-time acoustic oscillations at short wavelengths.

For a flat Newtonian expanding background $R\propto t^{2/3}$ with polytropic equation of state $p=K{\rho }^{\gamma }$, a comoving density contrast satisfies $\ddot{\delta }+4\dot{\delta }/(3t)+[{\Lambda }^2{t}^{-2\nu -2}-2/(3t^2)]\delta =0$. Here $\Lambda =kc(t_0)t_0^{\gamma -1/3}$ and $\nu =\gamma -4/3$. For $\nu >0$, substitution $z=\Lambda /(\nu t^{\nu })$ and $\delta =t^{-1/6}y(z)$ gives the Bessel equation of order $\lambda$. A universally valid basis uses the Bessel function of the first kind and Bessel function of the second kind, $t^{-1/6}{J}_{\lambda }(z)$ and $t^{-1/6}{Y}_{\lambda }(z)$. When $\lambda$ is not an integer, $J_{-\lambda }$ can replace $Y_{\lambda }$. For $4/3<\gamma <5/3$, the early oscillatory envelope is $t^{(3\gamma -5)/6}$; late modes have leading powers $t^{2/3}$ and $t^{-1}$. Late growth requires a nonzero coefficient of the growing branch.

Put $\delta =t^{2/3}h(t)$ in the Bessel density modes of a polytropic expanding universe equation. It becomes $h^{\prime \prime }+8h^{\prime }/(3t)+{\Lambda }^2{t}^{-2\nu -2}h=0$. Substituting $h=1+a{\Lambda }^2{t}^{-2\nu }+\cdots$ gives $a=[2\nu (5/3-2\nu ){]}^{-1}$. Since $ck/R=\Lambda t^{-\nu -1}$, the fractional pressure correction is small when $(ck/R{)}^2{t}^2\ll 2\nu (5/3-2\nu )$. For $0<\nu <1/3$, this is the order-of-magnitude condition $ck/R\ll \sqrt{6\pi \nu G\rho }$. It describes approach to the dust-like growing branch, not an exact universal time at which every initial perturbation starts increasing. The instantaneous Jeans instability balance instead compares $(ck/R{)}^2$ with $4\pi G\rho$.

For a nonrelativistic polytropic equation of state $P=K{\rho }^{4/3}$ during matter domination, $c_s^2\propto a^{-1}$ and the comoving Jeans wavenumber is constant. The leading density equation becomes $\ddot{\delta }+4\dot{\delta }/(3t)+[2(q-1)/(3t^2)]\delta =0$, giving the displayed powers. A growing mode exists for $q<1$; at $q=1$ one mode is constant. At $q=25/24$ the repeated root has the second solution $t^{-1/6}\ln t$. For $q>25/24$ both real solutions oscillate in $\ln t$ with envelope $t^{-1/6}$. Thus the instability threshold and the onset of oscillatory solutions are distinct in an expanding background.

When the characteristic exponents of the density-mode Euler-Cauchy equation coincide, the second independent solution gains a logarithm. In the polytropic matter-era example the complete solution at this threshold is $t^{-1/6}(A+B\log t)$.