Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2020 ii Paper 1 38D v Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-29
Differentiate along 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.