Scale-free potential and bulk-flow variance (${\sigma }_{\Phi }(R)\propto R^{(1-n)/2},{\sigma }_v(R)\propto R^{-(n+1)/2}$)

For a matter power spectrum $P(k)=A{k}^n$ at a fixed epoch, the Poisson equation gives potential Fourier amplitudes proportional to ${\delta }_k/k^2$, and the growing-mode peculiar velocity is proportional to ${\delta }_k\mathbf{k}/k^2$. With a spherical top-hat window function, their variances are proportional to $\int k^{n-2}W(kR{)}^{2}dk$ and $\int k^{n}W(kR{)}^{2}dk$, respectively. Rescaling $kR$ gives the displayed powers when the integrals converge: $1<n<5$ for the averaged potential and $-1<n<3$ for the bulk velocity. Absolute averaged potential has infrared sensitivity; band-limited fluctuations or potential differences can have different convergence requirements. The density variance converges only for $-3<n<1$, so these three absolute averages cannot all converge for one unbroken power law at every scale.