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In matter domination, the Einstein field equations with constant $\Phi$ give the Newtonian-gauge matter density from a constant gravitational potentialWell inside the Hubble radius, the first term is negligible. Since ${\mathcal{H}}^2\propto a^{-1}$ and $\Phi$ is constant,Equivalently, the matter-era growing and decaying density modes follow from ${\delta }_c^{\prime \prime }+\mathcal{H}{\delta }_c^{\prime }-(3/2){\mathcal{H}}^2{\delta }_c=0$: they are ${\tau }^2\propto a$ and ${\tau }^{-3}\propto a^{-3/2}$.

The lower panel of the preceding figure gives the three requested density contrast sketches in Newtonian gauge in cosmology. Their early superhorizon density is nearly constant, rather than proportional to $a^2$ in this gauge. A large-$k$ mode enters first and grows only approximately logarithmically during radiation domination. Once the rapid radiation forcing has subsided, ${\delta }_c^{\prime \prime }+\mathcal{H}{\delta }_c^{\prime }\simeq 0$ with $\mathcal{H}\simeq 1/\tau$, so ${\delta }_c\simeq C+D\ln \tau \simeq C+D\ln a$. This is the Mészáros effect; forcing around entry determines the coefficients. After equality its growing part becomes proportional to $a$.

A mode near $k_{\mathrm{eq}}$ begins substantial growth around equality. A small-$k$ mode keeps its superhorizon constant term until entering during matter domination, then follows the same $a$ growth law. Their entry scale factors satisfy $a_{\mathrm{ent}}\propto k^{-1}$ during radiation domination and $a_{\mathrm{ent}}\propto k^{-2}$ during matter domination. At a common late time, the scaled amplitudes are therefore of orderup to common dimensional constants and order-one matching terms. Thus the three late growth curves have the same logarithmic slope one as functions of $a$, but different amplitudes. These amplitude statements require the modes to have entered the Hubble radius; the full Newtonian-gauge formula above remains available for modes that have not.

In matter domination, the radiation source is negligible and cold matter has negligible pressure. The comoving density equation consequently contains no Jeans-pressure term proportional to $k^2{\Delta }_c$. On every linear scale, including superhorizon and subhorizon modes, it reduces toThe matter-era growing and decaying density modes are thereforeThe absence of a $k$-dependent pressure term makes the time dependence scale-independent; the coefficients still depend on wavenumber and on the earlier radiation-era evolution. This is linear growth in the stated cold-matter model, before nonlinear collapse or any additional late-time component changes the evolution.

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