Solution for Chapter 24
(compiled by Xinkai Wu)
Exercise 24.4 Constant of geodesic motion in a spacetime with symmetry
[Alexander Putilin/99]
(a) Geodesic equation
p
p = 0, i.e.
p
p
;
= 0
(p
,
)p
=
dx
d
p
=
dp
= 0
which gives
dp
d
=
1
2
(g
,
+ g
,
g
,
)p
where in the brackets the rst and the third terms are antisymmetric over ()
so their contraction with the symmetric tensor p
is zero. Thus
dp
d
=
1
2
g
,
p
Take to be A and using g
,A
= 0, we nd
dp
A
d
= 0
namely p
A
is a constant of motion.
(b) Let x
j
(t) be the trajectory of a particle. Its proper time is
d
2
= ds
2
= dt
2
_
1 + 2 (
jk
+ h
jk
)v
j
v
k
= dt
2
(1 + 2
jk
v
j
v
k
+ O(
v
4
c
4
))
thus
d = dt
_
1 + 2 v
2
= dt(1 +
1
2
v
2
)
where we have omitted terms of order v
4
/c
4
(i.e. ||
2
). The 4-velocity is given
by
u
=
dx
d
=
dx
dt(1 +
1
2
v
2
)
=
dx
dt
(1 +
1
2
v
2
)
1
thus in particular u
0
= 1 +
1
2
v
2
.
4-momentum: p
= mu
, and in particular p
0
= mu
0
= m(1 +
1
2
v
2
).
And the conserved quantity is then given by
p
t
= g
0
p
= g
00
p
0
= (1 + 2)m(1 +
1
2
v
2
)
= m(m +
1
2
mv
2
)
we see that p
t
is indeed the non-relativistic energy of a particle aside from an
additive constant m and an overall minus sign.
Exercise 24.5 Action Principle for Geodesic Motion [Xinkai Wu/00]
The action is given by:
S[x
()] =
_
1
0
(g
dx
d
dx
d
)
1/2
d
S =
_
1
0
(g
dx
d
dx
d
)
1/2
d
=
_
1
0
1
2
(g
dx
d
dx
d
)
1/2
(g
dx
d
dx
d
)d
=
_
1
0
1
2
(g
dx
d
dx
d
)
1/2
{
g
x
x
dx
d
dx
d
+g
dx
d
dx
d
+g
dx
d
dx
d
}d
(by renaming , and noticing g
= g
, we get:)
=
_
1
0
1
2
(g
dx
d
dx
d
)
1/2
{
g
x
x
dx
d
dx
d
+ 2g
dx
d
dx
d
}d
Integrating the 2nd term in {...}by parts, we nd, after renaming some
indices:
S =
_
1
0
(g
dx
d
dx
d
)
1/2
{g
d
2
x
d
2
+
g
x
dx
d
dx
d
1
2
g
x
dx
d
dx
d
d ln(g
dx
d
dx
d
)
1/2
d
g
dx
d
}x
d
Thus S = 0 if and only if
g
d
2
x
d
2
+
g
x
dx
d
dx
d
1
2
g
x
dx
d
dx
d
d ln(g
dx
d
dx
d
)
1/2
d
g
dx
d
= 0
Contracting both sides with g
, we get
d
2
x
d
2
+
1
2
g
{2
g
x
dx
d
dx
d
g
x
dx
d
dx
d
}
d ln(g
dx
d
dx
d
)
1/2
d
dx
d
= 0
By renaming for the rst term in {..}, the above equation becomes
d
2
x
d
2
+
1
2
g
{
g
x
+
g
x
g
x
}
dx
d
dx
d
d ln(g
dx
d
dx
d
)
1/2
d
dx
d
= 0
which is just, using the expression for the Christoel symbols,
d
2
x
d
2
+
dx
d
dx
d
d ln(g
dx
d
dx
d
)
1/2
d
dx
d
= 0
Now lets reparametrize the world line, s(), then the equation becomes,
(
d
2
x
ds
2
+
dx
ds
dx
ds
)(
ds
d
)
2
+
dx
ds
[
d
2
s
d
2
d ln(g
dx
d
dx
d
)
1/2
d
ds
d
] = 0
Integrating [...] twice we readily nd that [..] vanishes for
s =
_
A(g
dx
d
dx
d
)
1/2
d + B, where A and B are arbitrary constants.
After this reparametrization, we get the familiar geodesic equation:
d
2
x
ds
2
+
dx
ds
dx
ds
= 0
Exercise 24.7 Orders of magnitude of the radius of curvature [Alexander
Putilin/99]
2
Eq. (24.43) tells us that, if a system has characteristic mass M and charac-
teristic length R, order of magnitude estimate gives,
1
R
2
GM
R
3
where R is the radius of curvature
R
_
R
3
M
in units G = c = 1
1. near earths surfae: R R
6.4 10
6
m (earths radius), M M
4.4mm (earths mass), and R 2.4 10
11
m 1 astronomical unit 1AU.
2. near suns surface: R R
sun
7 10
8
m, M M
sun
1.5km, and
R 5 10
11
m 1AU.
3. near the surface of a white-dwarf star: R 5000km, M M
sun
1.5km,
and R 3 10
8
m
1
2
(sun radius).
4. near the surface of a neutron star: R 10km, M M
sun
3km, and
R 20km.
5. near the surface of a one-solar-mass black hole: M M
sun
1.5km,
R 2M 3km, and R 4km.
6. in intergalactic space: R 10(galaxy diameter) 10
6
light-year,
M (galaxy mass) 0.03 light-year (for Milky way), and R 610
9
light-years
Hubble Distance.
Exercise 24.8 Components of Riemann in an arbitrary basis [Xinkai Wu/02]
p
;
p
;
= R
we have
p
;
= (p
;
)
;
= (p
,
+ p
)
;
= (p
,
+ p
)
,
+
(p
,
+ p
(p
,
+ p
)
interchaging and in the above expression and then taking the dierence, we
get
p
;
p
;
= (
,
+
)p
+
+(
+ (p
,
p
,
) + (
)p
,
= (
,
+
)p
+
+c
+ (p
,
p
,
) + c
,
where in the last step weve used c
(eq. (23.44)). We can see
that the last two terms cancel, because
p
,
p
,
=
e
e
p
=
[e
,e]
p
= c
e
p
= c
,
= c
,
3
where to get to the second line, weve used the fact that for any scalar f,
B
f
A
f = A
(B
f
;
)
;
B
(A
f
;
)
;
= A
f
;
+ A
;
f
;
f
;
B
;
f
;
= (A
;
B
;
)f
;
= [
A,
B]
f
;
=
[
A,
B]
f. (note
f
;
= f
;
by the torsion free condition).
Thus we nally conclude that
R
,
+
Exercise 24.9 Curvature of the surface of a sphere [Alexander Putilin/99]
Hard copies of computerized part of this problem will be distributed in class.
(a) We read o the metric components from the line element:
g
= a
2
, g
= a
2
sin
2
, g
= 0
g
=
1
a
2
, g
=
1
a
2
sin
2
, g
= 0
There are six independent connection coecients
= g
= g
1
2
g
,
= 0
= g
=
1
a
2
1
2
(g
,
+ g
,
g
,
) = 0
= g
1
2
(2g
,
g
,
) =
1
2a
2
(a
2
sin
2
)
,
= sincos
= g
1
2
(2g
,
g
,
) = 0
= g
1
2
(g
,
+ g
,
g
,
) =
1
2a
2
sin
2
(a
2
sin
2
)
,
= cot
= g
1
2
g
,
= 0
(b) We can think of the Riemann tensor as a symmetric matrix R
[ij][kl]
with
indices [ij] and [kl]. Since R
ijkl
is antisymmetric in the rst and the second
pairs of indices, the only nontrivial component is [ij] = [], [kl] = []
R
= R
= R
= R
(c) Using eq. (24.57) and the fact that in a coordinate basis the c
s all
vanish, we get
R
,
+
=
1
2
(sin2)
,
= cos2 (sincos)cot
= sin
2
4
and thus
R
= g
= a
2
sin
2
(d) The new basis is related to the old by e
=
1
a
e
, e
=
1
asin
e
. Thus by
the multilinearity of tensors in their slots, we have
g
=
1
a
2
g
= 1, g
=
1
a
2
sin
2
= 1, g
=
1
a
2
sin
g
= 0. i.e. g
k
=
k
R
=
1
a
4
sin
2
=
1
a
2
R
k
= g
m n
R
m
j n
k
=
m n
R
m
j n
k
thus
R
= R
+ R
= R
=
1
a
2
R
= R
+ R
= R
=
1
a
2
R
= R
+ R
= 0
namely, R
k
=
1
a
2
g
k
.
R = R
k
g
k
=
1
a
2
g
j
=
2
a
2
Exercise 24.10 Geodesic deviation on a sphere [Alexander Putilin/99]
(a) ds
2
= a
2
(d
2
+sin
2
d
2
). on the equator, =
2
, dl
2
= a
2
d
2
, l = a is
the proper distance.
(b) Geodesic deviation eqn:
p
= R(..., p,
, p), with
p =
d
dl
=
1
a
, p
= 0, p
=
1
a
At =
2
, connection coecients vanish (see Ex. 24.9)
=
1
a
2
_
;
_
;
=
1
a
2
_
;
_
,
;
=
,
+
,
sincos
;
=
,
+
,
+ cot
=0
=
n
Figure 1: geodesic deviation on a sphere
thus
(
p
p
)
=
1
a
2
_
,
sincos
_
,
|
=
2
=
1
a
2
,
(
p
p
)
=
1
a
2
_
,
+ cot
_
,
|
=
2
=
1
a
2
,
On the other hand
= R
=
1
a
2
R
=
1
a
2
R
=
sin
2
a
2
|
=
2
=
1
a
2
thus
1
a
2
,
=
1
a
2
d
2
d
2
=
=
1
a
2
R
= 0
d
2
d
2
= 0
(c) Initial conditions (note that the geodesics are parallel at = 0):
(0) = b,
(0) = 0;
(0) = 0,
(0) = 0
This gives
= A + B = 0. And
() = A
cos + B
sin = bcos
6
Let = () be the eqn. for a tilted great circle. Its given by n x = 0, where
n = (sin, 0, cos) (, 0, 1) is the orthogonal vector and =
b
a
,
while x = (asincos, asinsin, acos). n x = a(sincos + cos) = 0
then gives: cot = cos = tan(
2
)
2
, i.e. =
2
cos.
From Fig. 1 we see that the separation vectors points along -direction (i.e.
= 0), and its magnitude is
= a(
2
) = acos = bcos, which is
precisely what we got before.
Exercise 24.12 Newtonian limit of general relativity [Alexander Putilin/99]
(a) g
+ h
, |h
| << 1. Proper time: d
2
= g
dx
dx
dx
dx
dt
2
dx
2
dt
2
. (in non-relativistic limit,|dx|/|dt| |v/c| <<
1). Thus d dt, and u
=
dx
d
dx
dt
: u
0
=
dt
d
1, u
j
=
dx
j
d
dx
j
dt
= v
j
.
(b) Geodesic eqn:
du
d
=
.
du
j
d
dv
j
dt
j
00
=
j00
=
1
2
(2g
j0,0
g
00,j
)
= h
j0,0
+
1
2
h
00,j
1
2
h
00,j
where in the last step weve used |h
,t
| << |h
,j
|.
dv
j
dt
= u
v
j
,
v
j
t
+ v
k
v
j
x
k
i.e.
d
dt
=
t
+v
dv
j
dt
=
,j
h
00
= 2.
(c)
=
1
2
g
(g
,
+g
,
g
,
) =
1
2
(h
,
+h
,
h
,
)+O(h
2
).
And the Riemann tensor is:
R
,
+ O(
2
)
=
1
2
(h
,
+ h
,
h
,
)
,
1
2
(h
,
+ h
,
h
,
)
,
+ O(h
2
)
=
1
2
(h
,
+ h
,
h
,
h
,
h
,
+ h
,
) + O(h
2
)
Notice that in the last line the rst and fourth terms cancel. Thus we get
R
1
2
(h
,
+ h
,
h
,
h
,
)
(d) R
j0k0
=
1
2
(h
j0,k0
+h
k0,j0
h
jk,00
h
00,jk
). Recall that in non-relativistic
limit, time derivatives are small compared to spatial ones, thus the last term in
the brackets dominates. And we get
R
j0k0
1
2
h
00,jk
=
,jk
Exercise 24.13 Gauge transformation in linearized theory [Alexander Putilin/99]
7
(a) x
new
= x
old
+
,
g
new
(x
new
) =
x
old
x
new
x
old
x
new
g
(x
old
)
Evaluate l.h.s. and r.h.s. up to linear order in
and h
:
l.h.s. =
+ h
new
(x
old
+ )
+ h
new
(x
old
)
r.h.s. = (
,
)(
,
)g
(x
old
)
= g
(x
old
) g
(x
old
)
,
g
(x
old
)
+ h
old
+ h
old
(x
old
)
,
(x
old
)
,
(x
old
)
h
new
= h
old
,
(b)
h
new
= h
new
1
2
h
new
=
h
old
,
,
+
,
Lorentz gauge:
h
new,
= 0.
h
new,
=
h
old,
,
,
+
,
= 0
thus we need
,
=
h
old,
(c) In Lorentz gauge, all terms on the l.h.s. of eq. (24.102) vanish except
the rst one, thus it reduces to
h
,
= 16T
