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Use a stationary, non-streaming tracer population with spherical symmetry in its full velocity distribution. In particular, the mean velocities vanish, the mixed covariances vanish, and the two tangential components have equal velocity dispersions. WriteHere ${\sigma }_t^2$ is the variance of one tangential component. In the alternative convention using the sum of both tangential variances, the same velocity-anisotropy parameter is $1-({\sigma }_{\theta }^2+{\sigma }_{\varphi }^2)/(2{\sigma }_r^2)$. These definitions agree; they must not be mixed by inserting an extra factor of two.

The time derivative and mean-velocity terms in the supplied Jeans equation vanish, as do its angular mixed-moment terms. Its remaining geometric term is $2\nu ({\sigma }_r^2-{\sigma }_t^2)/r$. Thus the Spherical Jeans equation becomesThe no-streaming assumption excludes a steady radial flow; stationarity of the density alone would not remove its advective terms.

By the shell theorem, the gravitational potential of a spherical mass distribution satisfies $d\Phi /dr=GM(<r)/r^2$. Expanding the derivative above, dividing by $\nu$, and using logarithmic derivatives givesThe tracer density $\nu$ need not be the density of the gravitating matter. The circular speed is $V_c^2=rd\Phi /dr=GM(<r)/r$, whether or not the tracers themselves follow circular orbits.

Now let $\beta$ be constant, $\nu ={\nu }_0(r/r_0{)}^{-\gamma }$, and $V_c^2=V_0^2(r/r_0{)}^{2\alpha }$. With $y={\sigma }_r^2$, the Spherical Jeans equation readsFor a power-law ansatz $y=K{V}_c^2$, $y^{\prime }=2\alpha y/r$, so $(\gamma -2\beta -2\alpha )y=V_c^2$. Therefore the scale-free spherical Jeans solution isThe positivity condition is necessary for this particular solution to be a physical velocity dispersion.

There is a boundary condition implicit in selecting this solution. The integrating factor $r^{2\beta -\gamma }$ gives, when $D=\gamma -2\beta -2\alpha \ne 0$,The homogeneous term represents an additional radial-pressure boundary contribution. It is removed, for example, by requiring $r^{2\beta }\nu {\sigma }_r^2\to 0$ at infinity. Under that condition,and convergence requires $D>0$, giving the boxed result. If $D=0$, the solution instead has the logarithmic formso the quoted constant proportionality does not apply. A finite outer boundary can retain a homogeneous term even when $D\ne 0$.

To derive the heliocentric projection of a spherical velocity dispersion, put the Sun at vector ${\mathbf{R}}_{\odot }$ of length $R_{\odot }$, and a tracer at $\mathbf{r}=r\hat{\mathbf{r}}$. Its heliocentric line of sight isIf $\chi$ is the angle between $\hat{\mathbf{\ell }}$ and the Galactocentric radial direction, thenAfter correction for the Sun's motion, the intrinsic covariance matrix has eigenvalues ${\sigma }_r^2,{\sigma }_t^2,{\sigma }_t^2$ in the local spherical basis. Projection onto the line of sight therefore givesAt fixed $r$, ${\sigma }_r$ and $\beta$ are constant across the spherical shell. Averaging its squared line of sight velocity, with zero mean, givesFor a uniformly sampled Galactocentric shell, the solid angle measure makes $u$ uniform on $[-1,1]$, giving the geometric correction for heliocentric velocity dispersionTo evaluate it, set $a=r^2+R_{\odot }^2$ and $b=2r{R}_{\odot }$, and divide the integrand:The odd term integrates to zero, while ${\int }_{-1}^{1}du/(a-bu)=b^{-1}\ln [(a+b)/(a-b)]$. For $r>0$, $R_{\odot }>0$, and $r\ne R_{\odot }$, this givesThe removable limit at $r=R_{\odot }$ is $A=1/2$. As $r/R_{\odot }\to \infty$, $A\simeq 2R_{\odot }^2/(3r^2)$, while as $r/R_{\odot }\to 0$, $A\to 2/3$. If $R_{\odot }=0$, $A=0$ and the observed velocity dispersion is exactly radial. For isotropic velocities, $\beta =0$, the correction vanishes at every radius.

The averaging measure matters. If directions are instead uniform in heliocentric solid angle at a fixed Galactocentric radius $r>R_{\odot }$, let $\vartheta$ be the angle between the line of sight and ${\mathbf{R}}_{\odot }$. Geometry gives ${\sin }^2\chi =(R_{\odot }/r{)}^2{\sin }^2\vartheta$, so that particular weighting gives $A=2R_{\odot }^2/(3r^2)$ exactly. The logarithmic expression above uses uniform tracer weighting on a Galactocentric shell. For an observational sample, use its actual angular selection weights in $A=⟨{\sin }^2\chi ⟩$; the boxed dispersion relation remains valid.

The density has the formInsert the ansatz ${\sigma }_r^2=k\Psi$ into the Spherical Jeans equationThe radial-power derivative cancels the anisotropy term because $p-2+2\beta =0$, leaving $k(2p+2)=1$. ThusTheir sum is independent of $p$:Therefore the local kinetic-energy density and gravitational potential-energy density areand they satisfy the local virial relation of the hypervirial modelat every radius. This pointwise identity is not generic. The ordinary virial theorem constrains suitable global integrals, with boundary terms when the system is truncated, but does not normally impose a virial balance shell by shell.

For one component with density ${\rho }_k=A_k{r}^{-2{\beta }_k}{\Psi }^{p_k}$, direct velocity integration, or the Spherical Jeans equation, givesEach component has velocity-anisotropy parameter ${\beta }_k$. Therefore the combined coefficient is the radial-pressure-weighted meanHeresoSince $q\sim \sqrt{r/b}/2$ at the origin and $q\sim \sqrt{b/r}$ at infinity,The second, less radial component reduces the anisotropy only at intermediate radii.

With the convention in the question, the constant velocity-anisotropy parameter is $\beta =1-{\sigma }_t^2/{\sigma }_r^2$. Since $V_c^2=rd\Phi /dr$, the Spherical Jeans equation becomesFor $\nu ={\nu }_0{r}^{-\alpha }$ and $V_c^2=V_0^2{r}^{2\gamma }$, its general integrating factor solution isThe homogeneous term represents a boundary pressure. For an extended scale-free system the physical boundary condition normally removes it, leavingPositivity requires $\alpha -2\beta -2\gamma >0$. A complete physical model must also have a nonnegative galactic distribution function and sensible inner and outer boundary behaviour; for example, strong radial anisotropy is restricted by density-slope--anisotropy inequalities.

Observationally, the tracer density can be estimated from star counts only after correcting distances, extinction, survey selection, and incompleteness. Spectroscopy supplies mainly line-of-sight velocities; proper motions add transverse information but become less precise for distant halo stars. The equation shows the mass--anisotropy--density degeneracy directly: the same measured ${\sigma }_r$ can result from a larger $V_c$, a steeper tracer slope $\alpha$, or a different $\beta$. Even globally constant power laws therefore do not determine the galactic mass profile unless some of these quantities are independently constrained.

If $\alpha$, $\beta$, or $\gamma$ changes near a break radius, the solution at one radius also depends on the outer boundary integral. A break in observed dispersion may be attributed to a mass-profile feature, a tracer-density break, or a change in orbital anisotropy. Separate tracer populations, full three-dimensional velocities, higher velocity moments, and measurements over a wide radial range help break this degeneracy.

More flexible alternatives model a nonnegative solution of the Collisionless Boltzmann equation itself. An action-based galactic distribution function gives an analytic or parametrized $f(\mathbf{J})$; a Schwarzschild orbit-superposition model assigns nonnegative weights to an orbit library; and a made-to-measure stellar-dynamical model adjusts particle weights to reproduce observations. These methods retain more phase-space information than Jeans moments, although their flexibility introduces model choices and regularization.

For a spherical nonrotating tracer with luminosity density $\lambda$, radial velocity dispersion ${\sigma }_r$, enclosed luminosity $L(r)$, and constant mass-to-light ratio ${\rm Y}$, let $q=\lambda {\sigma }_r^2$ and $\gamma =G{\rm Y}$. DefineThe Spherical Jeans equation and the projected second stellar velocity moment give $p=2A+R{A}^{\prime }$. To differentiate without a singular lower-end contribution, write $A(R)={\int }_0^{\infty }q(\sqrt{R^2+z^2})dz$. If $R^{2}A$ vanishes at both endpoints, ${\int }_0^{\infty }Rp(R)dR=0$. A finite outer aperture instead retains its boundary stress term.

For a scale-free tracer $\nu \propto r^{-k}$ in a point-mass gravitational potential, with $k>1$ and constant velocity-anisotropy parameter, the Spherical Jeans equation gives ${\sigma }_r^2=G{M}_{\bullet }/[(k+1-2\beta )r]$ when the outer pressure term vanishes. Project the tracer density and its second stellar velocity moment along the line of sight. The substitution $r=R\sec \chi$ reduces both integrals to powers of $\cos \chi$ and hence the beta function, yielding the displayed expression. The ratio of the two numerator angular integrals is $k/(k+1)$. This makes the mass-anisotropy ambiguity explicit. At $k=2$ the velocity-anisotropy parameter dependence cancels and ${\sigma }_{\mathrm{los}}^2=2G{M}_{\bullet }/(3\pi R)$; that special slope does not remove the degeneracy in general. Physical use also requires a nonnegative tracer distribution and control of outer departures from the power law.