Radial epicyclic motion. At fixed specific angular momentum, use and . A circular orbit at obeys . Expanding gives , where
For the radial epicyclic frequency describes simple harmonic motion. The angular correction follows from conservation of angular momentum, , and describes an epicyclic motion around the guiding circular orbit.
Stabilizing terms. In the given local fluid dispersion relation, is rotational support, important at long wavelength; is random-motion or pressure support, important at short wavelength. The term is destabilizing self-gravity. Although the wording refers to stellar dispersion, this algebra uses the supplied fluid approximation; a collisionless stellar treatment has a reduction factor and a different numerical normalization.[ref]
Axisymmetric threshold. For , set . Completing the square gives
Thus gives local axisymmetric oscillatory stability; gives a growing band, with
At , the minimizing mode has zero frequency and is marginal, not a strictly restoring oscillation. Local axisymmetric stability does not establish stability to every global nonaxisymmetric mode.
long-wave and short-wave branches at marginal Toomre stability. For and ,
The long-wavelength branch, using the minus sign, requires
These endpoints are the inner and outer Lindblad resonance conditions. The stated dispersion relation does not restrict every wave solution to that interval. Its plus-sign short-wavelength branch has even outside it: for example, gives and satisfies the equation. Additional branch selection or resonant absorption physics would be needed for an absolute confinement claim. No such condition is supplied.
Toomre stability radius of a flat-rotation disk. With , . Using ,
The supplied local model therefore predicts stable radii below about , marginality at that radius, and axisymmetric instability farther out while its assumed constant surface density and thin-disk approximation remain applicable. An infinite constant-density, flat-rotation disk is an idealization, not a global self-consistent galaxy model.
Figure 1.
Original marginal-disk dispersion branches and radial Toomre parameter, showing the long-wave restriction and the surviving short-wave branch
. Details.