Levi-Civita connection

The Levi-Civita connection is the unique torsion-free connection compatible with the metric; its coefficients are the Christoffel symbols formed from first metric derivatives.

Two Riemannian metrics have the same Levi-Civita connection precisely when their relative positive self-adjoint endomorphism $A$ is parallel for that connection. Parallel transport preserves both metrics. Consequently agreement at one point implies agreement everywhere on a connected manifold. Without that agreement, constant scalar multiples always give examples; constant nonproportional Euclidean forms show that a common connection does not force scalar proportionality.

A Riemannian metric determines a unique torsion-free connection that is a metric connection. Metric compatibility and the torsion identity imply the Koszul formula, which proves uniqueness. Conversely the right-hand side of the Koszul formula is a smooth one-form in its last vector-field argument. The musical isomorphism defines $D_{X}Y$ from it; expanding the Lie bracket of vector fields verifies the connection rules, metric compatibility and zero torsion. Thus it constructs the Levi-Civita connection intrinsically.

Metric compatibility is ${\nabla }_{\alpha }{g}_{\mu \nu }=0$, allowing the metric to pass through covariant derivatives and index operations.

The Lie derivative of a connection is the tensorAn isometry preserves the Levi-Civita connection, so ${\mathcal{L}}_K\nabla =0$ for a Killing vector field.