Problem Set 1 - GR-I - 2012

Hand in at class on Friday, October 18 2013. Write on one side only, in ink no pencil! See the note on the course web-page. Do NOT use any computer algebra system to solve these problems. Do NOT typeset your answers (ie. NO LaTeX, Lyx, WORD, etc!), but write them by hand, clearly. Grades for each section are indicated in the boxes. Notation: |c denotes partial dierentiation wrt coordinate xc and ||c denotes covariant dierentiation wrt coordinate xc . 1. As seen in class, it is always possible to nd a coordinate system in a nhd of a point P such that a bc = 0 at P . Discuss how this relates to the Equivalence Principle and how it makes clear that it is necessary to state this Principle very precisely. 2. Suppose that Aik is a tensor such that the matrix of components is non-singular. Show that the geometric object whose components are the elements of the inverse matrix transforms as a tensor. An example of this is the development of g ij from gij . 3. Dene the Christoel symbol of the rst kind to be: [mn, r] = 1 g + grn|m gmn|r 2 rm|n 10

10

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so that the Christoel symbol of the second kind can be written as rmn = g rs [mn, s]. (We can dene abc = gas sbc but note the index order when comparing to [mn, r].) Show that: gmn|r = [rm, n] + [rn, m] and gmn|r = gns srm + gms srn 10

4. Taking ab to be the Minkowski metric, consider a space-time with metric: gab = e ab where = (xc ) is a function of position in the space-time. You are required to compute the Christoel symbols of the second kind, abc , for this space-time expressed in each of a Cartesian coordinate system and a spherical polar coordinate system. The transformation of the space-time described by ab to the space-time with metric gab = e ab is a conformal transformation. What geometrical quantities are clearly preserved, and what are not preserved under this transformation? Can you get the same transformation properties from a coordinate transformation? 5. Consider two metric tensors, gab and g ab , related by g ab = e gab , where is a function i i i of the coordinates x . Let jk and jk be the corresponding Christoel symbols. Show that these Christoel symbols are related by the equations: i = i + Ai jk jk jk 1

15

where Ai jk =

1 i i + k |j gjk g ir |r 2 j |k 10 10

6. Using the results of problem 5, discuss the impact of the conformal transformation, g ab = e gab , on the geodesic nature of curves. 7. The geodesic equation has the following form when is an ane parameter:
b c d2 xa a dx dx + =0 bc d2 d d

Use this equation to nd the relation among any two distinct ane parameters. How does the geodesic equation change when the independent variable along the geodesic is not an ane parameter? 8. Consider the manifold with metric (where r > a): ds2 = r2 dr2 dr2 + r2 d2 r2 a2 (r2 a2 )2 15

Show that the geodesics satisfy the dierential equation: a2 dr d

2

+ a2 r2 = k 2 r4

where k 2 is a constant, and k 2 = 1 if and only if the geodesic is null. 9. If Gij is an antisymmetric tensor, show that Gij |l + Gjl|i + Gli|j is a rank 3 tensor. 10