Velocity-ellipsoid alignment in a Stäckel potential ($⟨v_i{v}_j⟩=0(i\ne j)$)

A regular phase-mixed distribution $F(H,p_{\varphi },I)$ in an axisymmetric Stäckel potential is even separately in $v_{\lambda }$ and $v_{\mu }$, because these integrals depend on those components only through squares. Odd integration then gives all three mixed second moments zero, even if the $p_{\varphi }$ dependence produces azimuthal streaming. Bare stationarity alone is insufficient in degenerate resonant potentials with additional integrals. For example the isotropic harmonic Hamiltonian has the extra conserved $K=v_x{v}_y+{\omega }^{2}xy$; a positive Gaussian $\exp (-aH+ϵK)$ with $a>|ϵ|>0$ is a steady tracer and has nonzero $⟨v_x{v}_y⟩$. Its harmonic gravitational potential is a Stäckel potential in these spheroidal coordinates. This tracer need not itself source that harmonic gravitational potential. The alignment claim thus needs the phase-mixed three-integral hypothesis, not merely the weak form of Jeans theorem.