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In the inertial frame the steady convective acceleration is $-R{\Omega }^2{\mathbf{e}}_R$. For a barotropic fluid, $\nabla p/\rho =\nabla h$, where $h$ is the barotropic enthalpy function. The equilibrium momentum equation therefore giveson each connected fluid region. Uniform rotation is essential: it makes the centrifugal acceleration derivable from the centrifugal potential $-{\Omega }^2{R}^2/2$.

The Cowling approximation sets the gravitational-potential perturbation to zero while retaining background gravity. The barotropic pressure force linearizes as $\delta (\nabla p/\rho )=\nabla \delta h$, with $\delta h=p^{\prime }/\rho =c_s^2{\rho }^{\prime }/\rho$. Denote its mode amplitude by $W$. The advective time derivative on a scalar mode is ${\partial }_t+\Omega {\partial }_{\varphi }$, so the stated positive-frequency exponential produces $i\sigma$ with $\sigma =\omega +m\Omega$. Linearizing the radial centrifugal term produces $-2\Omega v_{\varphi }$, while linearizing the azimuthal convective term produces $2\Omega v_R$. ThusThese are the pressure-gradient and Coriolis acceleration terms in the corotating-frame form. Independently, linearizing continuity equation givesThe equilibrium mass density is axisymmetric, so no additional azimuthal background-density derivative appears.

For $\sigma \ne 0$ and $D=4{\Omega }^2-{\sigma }^2\ne 0$, invert the horizontal momentum system:Inserting these into the continuity equation, dividing by $i\sigma$ and multiplying by $D$ givesThe two terms proportional to $\rho W_R$ cancel; this cancellation leaves precisely the background-density derivative in the last term. Since $-D/{\sigma }^2=1-4{\Omega }^2/{\sigma }^2$, this is exactlyThe singular frequency cases require the original velocity equations rather than this inversion.

In the low-frequency anelastic approximation for a rotating barotropic star, neglect the left side. Spherical background mass density satisfies ${\rho }_R/R={\rho }_z/z$, understood by its smooth limiting form on the equatorial plane. For $W=z{R}^m$,The remaining equation reduces toWriting $q=2\Omega /\sigma$, the bracket factors as $(m+1-q)(q+1)$. The regular desired branch is thereforeThe other algebraic factor corresponds to $\sigma =-2\Omega$, where the eliminated horizontal system is singular; it is not classified by this pressure-equation inversion. A constant-density background makes the bulk factor identically zero but does not invalidate the displayed solution.

For the regular branch, an explicit velocity check is particularly informative. Up to a common mode normalization,It satisfies $R{v}_R+z{v}_z=0$ and $\nabla \cdot \mathbf{v}=0$. Thus $\nabla \cdot (\rho \mathbf{v})=0$ for every spherical mass density profile, directly verifying the anelastic continuity condition. The motion is tangential to spherical shells and is the sectoral inertial mode of a slowly rotating barotropic star. For single-valued azimuthal modes, $m$ is a positive integer. With the source's exponential convention,For $m\ge 2$ the pattern is retrograde relative to the star but prograde in the inertial frame. This is a leading slow-rotation anelastic mode, not an exact solution of the compressible equations whose left-hand term was discarded.