General Astrophysics 1 - Tutorial 9 - Jeans instability

Ron Zheleznykov
May 2023

1 Jeans instability in a rotating system (2016B)

A gas cloud is rotating uniformly with a constant angular velocity Ω⃗ around its symmetry axis. The flow equations
are satisfied in the rotating frame. In particular, the Euler equation in this frame is

∂⃗v ⃗ + 1 ∇P
⃗ v + ∇Φ ⃗ +Ω
⃗ × (Ω
⃗ × ⃗r) + 2Ω
⃗ × ⃗v = 0.
+ (⃗v · ∇)⃗ (1)
∂t ρ
For simplicity, assume the cloud to be cylindrical, with height and radius as large as you wish, without dark
matter, and that in equilibrium the mass density ρ0 and the pressure P are constant.
1. Find a relation between Ω and ρ0 in equilibrium.

2. Derive the linearized flow equations for an adiabatic perturbation propagating perpendicular to the rotation
axis.
3. Show that the dispersion relation for such a perturbation is

ω 2 = k 2 c2s − 4πGρ0 + 4Ω2 , (2)

using class notations. Is the cloud stable for this kind of perturbations?
4. Redo items 2-3 for a perturbation propagating parallel to the rotation axis.
Solution:

1. In the rotating frame, the unperturbed velocity is 0, so the Euler equation becomes
⃗ = −Ω
∇Φ ⃗ × (Ω
⃗ × ⃗r) = −Ω2z ẑ × (ẑ × [xx̂ + y ŷ + z ẑ]) = −Ω2z ẑ × (xŷ − yx̂) = Ω2z (xx̂ + y ŷ), (3)

⃗ = Ω2z (xx̂ + y ŷ).

∇Φ (4)
Taking the divergence of the above equation

∆Φ = 4πGρ0 = 2Ω2z (5)

Ω2 = 2πGρ0 . (6)

1
2. As usual we will write
⃗ = c2 ∇ρ,
∇P ⃗ (7)
s

and take only the first order hydrodynamic equations

∂δ⃗v ⃗ c2 ⃗ ⃗ × δ⃗v = 0,
+ ∇δΦ + s ∇δρ + 2Ω (8)
∂t ρ
∂ ⃗ v = 0,
δρ + ρ0 ∇δ⃗ (9)
∂t
∆δΦ = 4πGδρ. (10)
Assuming a perturbation of the form

δρ, δΦ, δ⃗v ∝ ei(kx x−ωt) , (11)

i.e. a perturbation propagating to the x̂ direction (perpendicular to ẑ), and remembering that

⃗ → ikx̂, ∂ → −iω,
∇ (12)
∂t
we have
c2s
−iωδvx + ikδΦ + ik δρ − 2Ωδvy = 0, (13)
ρ
−iωδvy + 2Ωδvx = 0, (14)
−iωδvz = 0, (15)
−iωδρ + ikρ0 δvx = 0, (16)
2
k δΦ + 4πGδρ = 0. (17)

3. We have four coupled equation. In a matrix form they are written as

c2
  
−iω −2Ω ik ρs0 ik δvx
 2Ω
 −iω 0 0  δvy 
 
 = 0. (18)
ikρ
0 0 −iω 0   δρ 
0 0 4πG k2 δΦ

For a non trivial solution the determinant must be equal to 0:

k 2 [−iω(4Ω2 − ω 2 ) − iωc2s k 2 ] − (−1) · 4πGik 2 ρ0 ω = 0, (19)

−4πGρ0 + (4Ω2 − ω 2 ) + c2s k 2 = 0, (20)

ω 2 = k 2 c2s − 4πGρ0 + 4Ω2 . (21)
2
Inserting Ω obtains
ω 2 = k 2 c2s − 4πGρ0 + 8πGρ0 > 0, (22)
so the cloud is stable to these perturbations.

2
4. Is this case the linearized equations are as follows,

−iωδvx − 2Ωδvy = 0, (23)

−iωδvy + 2Ωδvx = 0, (24)

c2s
−iωδvz + ikδΦ + ik δρ = 0, (25)
ρ0
−iωδρ + ikρ0 δvz = 0, (26)
2
k δΦ + 4πGδρ = 0. (27)
Now only the last three equations are coupled. Writing them in a matrix form we get
  
c2
−iω ik ρs0 ik δvz
ikρ0 −iω 0   δρ  = 0, (28)
 
0 4πG k 2 δΦ

−4πGk 2 ρ0 + k 2 [−ω 2 + k 2 c2s ] = 0, (29)

ω 2 = k 2 c2s − 4πGρ0 . (30)
We obtained the usual Jeans instability, so there is stability when
 1/2
4πGρ0
k> , (31)
c2s

or when  1/2
π
λ < cs . (32)
Gρ0
The first two equations imply that if ω ̸= 2Ω, then δvx = δvy = 0.