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Parallel transport and geodesics 

A vector field tex2html_wrap_inline3398 is parallel transported along a curve with tangent

equation2995

where tex2html_wrap_inline3612 is the parameter along the curve [ usually taken to be the proper time tex2html_wrap_inline3614 if the curve is timelike ] if and only if

equation3001

In an a inertial frame this is

equation3003

so in a general frame the condition becomes :

equation3005

i.e. we just replace the partial derivatives (,) with a covariant derivative (;). This is called the `` comma goes to semicolon'' rule , i.e. work things out in a local inertial frame and if it is a tensor equation it will be valid in all frames.

  figure1236
Figure 6.1: Parallel transport of a vector tex2html_wrap_inline3398 along a timelike curve with tangent tex2html_wrap_inline3622 .

The curve is a geodesic   if it parallel transports its own tangent vector:

equation3011

This is the closest we can get to defining a straight line in a curved space. In flat space a tangent vector is everywhere tangent only for a straight line. Now

equation3013

Since tex2html_wrap_inline3624 and tex2html_wrap_inline3626 we can write this as

equation3015

This is the geodesic equation. It is a second order differential equation for tex2html_wrap_inline3628 , so one gets a unique solution by specifying an initial position tex2html_wrap_inline3418 and velocity tex2html_wrap_inline3632 .




Peter Dunsby
Mon Sep 16 17:51:22 GMT+0200 1996