Homologous Gravitational Collapse in Lagrangian Coordinate: Planetary System in Protostar and Cavity in Pre-Supernova

Abstract: The classical problem of spherical homologous gravitational collapse with a polytropic equation of state for pressure is examined in Lagrangian fluid coordinate, where the position of each initial fluid element {\eta} = r(0) is followed in time by the evolution function y(t). In this Lagrangian description, the fluid velocity v = dr/dt = {\eta}dy/dt is not a fluid variable, contrary to the commonly used Eulerian fluid description. As a result, the parameter space is one dimensional in {\eta}, in contrast to the (x, v) two-parameter space of Eulerian formulation. In terms of Lagrangian coordinate, the evolution function y(t), which is not limited to a linear time scaling, agrees with the well established parametric form of Mestel (Mestel 1965) for cold cloud collapse. The spatial structure is described by an equation which corresponds to the one derived by Goldreich and Weber (Goldreich & Weber 1980). The continuous self-similar density distribution presents a peaked central core followed by oscillations with decreasing amplitude, somewhat reminiscent to the expansion-wave inside-out collapse of Shu (Shu 1977). This continuous solution could account for the planetary system of a protostar. There is also a disconnected density distribution, which could be relevant to cavity formation between the highly peaked central core and the external infalling envelope of a magnetar-in-a-cavity pre-supernova configuration.