For the synchronous-to-Newtonian scalar Fourier transformation, the coefficient of in the transformed spatial metric perturbation must vanish. Thus . Vanishing shift then gives . For these conditions fix
The lapse in conformal Newtonian gauge is , so
The remaining coefficient of is
giving
The homogeneous perturbation requires separate background-coordinate choices; the inverse powers of do not define a transformation for it.
Fix the background signature and define a positive spatial metric perturbation by . Thus the synchronous line element is
For a nonzero Fourier mode, take the passive displacement and . The transformed scalar shear is , so setting it to zero gives . Removing the mixed metric term gives .
Define the resulting Newtonian gauge line element as . Its potentials are
These signs follow directly from the linear metric gauge-transformation law. Positive here corresponds to a minus sign for inside the spatial parentheses. The synchronous-to-Newtonian scalar Fourier transformation uses a different explicit background/spatial-amplitude convention. Its displacement signs must be translated along with that convention. The present definitions also fix the signs in the photon redshift identity with positive spatial perturbations.