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The Einstein field equations—which determine the geometry of spacetime in the presence of matter—contain the Ricci tensor, and so calculating the Christoffel symbols is essential. Once the geometry is determined, the paths of particles and light beams are calculated by solving the geodesic equations in which the Christoffel symbols ...
Christoffel symbols satisfy the symmetry relations = or, respectively, =, the second of which is equivalent to the torsion-freeness of the Levi-Civita connection. The contracting relations on the Christoffel symbols are given by
These equations can be directly derived from the second definition of Christoffel symbols given above; for instance, the first Codazzi equation is obtained by differentiating the first equation with respect to v, the second equation with respect to u, subtracting the two, and taking the dot product with n. The Gauss equation asserts that [24]
The Levi-Civita connection is named after Tullio Levi-Civita, although originally "discovered" by Elwin Bruno Christoffel.Levi-Civita, [1] along with Gregorio Ricci-Curbastro, used Christoffel's symbols [2] to define the notion of parallel transport and explore the relationship of parallel transport with the curvature, thus developing the modern notion of holonomy.
The full geodesic equation is + = where s is a scalar parameter of motion (e.g. the proper time), and are Christoffel symbols (sometimes called the affine connection coefficients or Levi-Civita connection coefficients) symmetric in the two lower indices.
The static assumption is unneeded, as Birkhoff's theorem states that any spherically symmetric vacuum solution of Einstein's field equations is stationary; the Schwarzschild solution thus follows. Birkhoff's theorem has the consequence that any pulsating star that remains spherically symmetric does not generate gravitational waves , as the ...
Solving the geodesic equations is a procedure used in mathematics, particularly Riemannian geometry, and in physics, particularly in general relativity, that results in obtaining geodesics. Physically, these represent the paths of (usually ideal) particles with no proper acceleration , their motion satisfying the geodesic equations.
In the mathematical field of differential geometry, the Riemann curvature tensor or Riemann–Christoffel tensor (after Bernhard Riemann and Elwin Bruno Christoffel) is the most common way used to express the curvature of Riemannian manifolds. It assigns a tensor to each point of a Riemannian manifold (i.e., it is a tensor field).