Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2010/iii/paper-54/2/a/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2010 iii Paper 54 2 a Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
For a curve with fixed , its tangent is proportional to . The Vaidya metric has , so the curve is a null curve. Moreover, the Christoffel symbols with two lower indices vanish:because is constant and every other is zero. Thus the covariant derivative along this tangent gives . The geodesic equation is satisfied with as an affine parameter; choosing future orientation gives the tangent and an affine parameter increasing as . These are the ingoing radial null geodesics.
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