Past exam of the general relativity II course of the University of Oxford / 2015 / 2 / e / i / Solution

On the equatorial path, the Lagrangian per unit mass isBoth $t$ and $\varphi$ are cyclic coordinates. The Euler-Lagrange equations therefore conserve their canonical momenta:ConsequentlyHere $E$ is the total conserved energy in the specified gauge of the electromagnetic four-potential. The paper's $l$ is the angular momentum per unit mass; the physical angular momentum is $ml$. The equatorial choice is consistent with the $\theta$ Euler-Lagrange equation, since its angular force term contains $\sin \theta \cos \theta =0$ at $\theta =\pi /2$ and the electromagnetic four-potential has no angular component.