Conformally flat metric Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-11-05
A conformally flat metric is locally , where is a smooth conformal factor and is a flat metric tensor. Its domain is a conformally flat manifold. The conformal factor preserves null cones and unparametrized null geodesics, but can change curvature.[ref]
Lecture Notes on General Relativity by Sean M. Carroll. Chapter 3, equation 3.97 and conformal invariance of the Weyl tensor, printed p. 82
For example, has Ricci scalar in the usual general relativity curvature convention, so conformal flatness need not mean flatness.