Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2024 / iii / Paper 309 / 4 / d / Solution

Substituting the forms from part (b) into Cartan's second structure equation gives the independent mixed-index curvature 2-formsEvery form is proportional to its corresponding basis 2-form, so the curvature operator is diagonal. The diagonal Ricci tensor components are contractions of these sectional curvature coefficients. In each case the coefficients cancel in the pattern $2-1-1=0$, with the Lorentzian sign included when the time direction is contracted. HenceThis is consistent with Schwarzschild spacetime being a vacuum solution away from $r=0$.