Conformal rescaling of a Riemannian metric ($\tilde{g}=e^{2\omega }g$)

A conformal rescaling multiplies a Riemannian metric by a positive scalar function. It preserves angles while changing lengths and volumes; in two dimensions, $\tilde{g}=e^{2\omega }g$ gives ${\Delta }_{\tilde{g}}=e^{-2\omega }{\Delta }_g$ on scalar functions.

Two Riemannian metrics lie in the same conformal class when one is a positive smooth scalar multiple of the other. They measure the same angles, while lengths may change from point to point. On an oriented Riemannian surface, rotation of each tangent plane through $\pi /2$ determines a complex structure which depends only on this conformal class.

For $\tilde{g}=e^{2\sigma }g$, the displayed correction is a symmetric tensor, so adding it to $\nabla$ gives a torsion-free connection. The two extra metric-compatibility pairings sum to $2d\sigma (X)g(Y,Z)$; this is exactly the derivative of the conformal factor. Uniqueness of the Levi-Civita connection proves the formula. It also yields the critical-point criterion for equal conformal connections.

On a positive-dimensional Riemannian manifold, equality means equality of the two covariant derivatives at $p$ for every pair of vector fields. A critical point of $\sigma$ annihilates the conformal correction. Conversely, writing that correction as $A$, the identity $g(A(v,v),v)=g(v,v)d\sigma (v)$ for all tangent vectors forces $d\sigma =0$ if $A=0$. A smooth function on a nonempty compact boundaryless manifold has a critical point, so conformally related connections coincide somewhere. Compact manifolds with boundary need not have one.

In dimension $N$, the conformal rescaling of a Riemannian metric $\tilde{g}=e^{2\omega }g$ changes the Ricci scalar by the displayed formula. In two dimensions the gradient-square term vanishes; for a flat base metric, $\tilde{R}=-2e^{-2\omega }\Delta \omega$.