Radial stellar pulsation equation (${\xi }_r=r\eta$)

For a radial stellar oscillation, put ${\xi }_r=r\eta$. The self-gravitating adiabatic equation is $({\Gamma }_{1}P{r}^4{\eta }^{\prime }{)}^{\prime }+r^3[(3{\Gamma }_1-4)P{]}^{\prime }\eta +\rho r^4{\omega }^2\eta =0$. It is a Sturm-Liouville problem whose Rayleigh quotient tests radial stability. The familiar constant-exponent threshold is ${\Gamma }_1=4/3$; a variable exponent requires the full integral test.

For constant adiabatic exponent $\gamma >4/3$ and a star whose central mass density is its maximum, the homologous radial fluid displacement ${\xi }_r=r$ makes the derivative term in the weighted stellar pulsation Rayleigh quotient vanish. The remaining quotient is $(3\gamma -4)$ times a positive weighted average of $g/r$. Since $m(r)\le 4\pi {\rho }_c{r}^3/3$, $g/r\le 4\pi G{\rho }_c/3$, proving the bound. For $\gamma <4/3$, the same trial quotient is negative and proves radial instability; the inequality with the central density must not be extended with its sign unchanged.

For radial adiabatic stellar oscillations, the quotient is $\mathcal{R}[\xi ]=\int [\gamma p{r}^4|\xi \prime {|}^2+r^3((4-3\gamma )p)\prime |\xi {|}^2]dr/\int \rho r^4|\xi {|}^{2}dr$. Regular-centre and free-surface endpoint conditions remove the boundary term. The infimum is the fundamental squared frequency; any negative trial value proves radial instability. A variable stellar adiabatic exponent must remain inside the derivative.

Integrate the pressure-gradient term in the weighted stellar pulsation Rayleigh quotient by parts, with regular centre and zero surface pressure. Writing $\chi =r{\xi }^{\prime }+3\xi$ uses $3{\xi }^2+2r\xi {\xi }^{\prime }=({\chi }^2-r^2({\xi }^{\prime }{)}^2)/3$ and gives the displayed expression. Thus radial instability requires $\gamma <4/3$ somewhere in the positive-pressure interior. A constant trial function gives $K=3{\xi }^2{\int }_0^R(3\gamma -4)p{r}^{2}dr$, so strict radial stability requires this weighted integral to be positive, in particular $\gamma >4/3$ somewhere. When $\gamma =4/3$ throughout, constant $\xi$ is an exact zero-frequency homologous mode: the star is marginal, rather than strictly stable. Local threshold crossings alone do not determine stability for a mixed profile; the full Rayleigh-Ritz variational principle does.

The homologous trial function $\xi =1$ in the weighted stellar pulsation Rayleigh quotient has numerator $-3{\int }_0^{R_s}{r}^{2}p(4-3\gamma )dr$. Positivity of that integral therefore proves radial instability. It is a sufficient test: a nonpositive integral does not guarantee stability against every radial shape. For constant $\gamma$, the homologous threshold is $4/3$.