Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2020 / ii / Paper 1 / 38D (General Relativity)

The coordinate expression for the Lie bracket of vector fields isFor the Levi-Civita connection,The final term vanishes because the Christoffel symbols are symmetric in $\mu ,\nu$ while the vector product in parentheses is antisymmetric. Hence

The coordinate vector fields on the parameter surface commute, so their pushforwards satisfyBecause the Levi-Civita connection is torsion free, part (i) then givesEvery $t$-curve is an affinely parametrized geodesic, hence ${\nabla }_{T}T=0$. Applying the definition of the Riemann curvature tensor,Therefore the connecting vector is a Jacobi field and obeys the geodesic deviation equation

First differentiate the unit normalization $X^{\alpha }{X}_{\alpha }=-1$. Metric compatibility givesThe timelike geodesic vector field equation gives the other contraction,For the spatial projector of a timelike congruence,and symmetry also gives $h_{\alpha \beta }{X}^{\beta }=0$. Thus

Splitting the deformation tensor of a timelike geodesic congruence into symmetric and antisymmetric parts and substituting the definitions givesMoreover, the orthogonality of $B_{\alpha \beta }$ implieswhile in four dimensionsIt follows thatHencewhich is the kinematic decomposition of a timelike geodesic congruence.

The fields $X$ and $S$ arise by pushing forward the two coordinate vectors on the two-parameter family of geodesics, so $[X,S]=0$. Part (i), or equivalently the torsion-free property, givesIn components,ThereforeThis says that the deformation tensor of a timelike geodesic congruence gives the relative velocity of neighboring geodesics represented by the geodesic deviation vector.

Differentiate $B_{\alpha \beta }={\nabla }_{\beta }{X}_{\alpha }$ along $X$ and commute the two covariant derivatives:where the sign is the covector form of the Ricci identity. Apply the product rule to the first term:The first term vanishes by the geodesic equation, and the second isFinally the pair symmetries and antisymmetries of the Riemann curvature tensor giveConsequentlyThis is the Riccati equation for a timelike geodesic congruence; taking its spatial trace is the starting point for the timelike Raychaudhuri equation.