On linear adiabatic perturbations of spherically symmetric gaseous stars governed by the Euler–Poisson equations

Abstract

We analyze the linearized operator for nonradial oscillations of spherically symmetric self-gravitating gaseous stars in view of the functional analysis. The evolution of the star is supposed to be governed by the Euler–Poisson equations under the equation of state of the ideal gas, and the motion is supposed to be adiabatic. We consider the case of not necessarily isentropic, that is, not barotropic motions. Basic theory of self-adjoint realization of the linearized operator is established. Some problems in the investigation of the concrete properties of the spectrum of the linearized operator are proposed. The existence of eigenvalues which accumulate to zero is proved in a mathematically rigorous fashion. The absence of continuous spectra and the completeness of eigenfunctions for the operators reduced by spherical harmonics is discussed.