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A coframe dual to a local frame of the tangent bundle is the corresponding local frame of the cotangent bundle. Its elements are differential one-forms. Applying the coframe to covariant derivatives of the frame extracts the connection one-forms; applying it to the torsion tensor extracts the torsion forms.

Treat the orthonormal coframe in spacetime and the Lorentz connection 1-form as independent variables, with nondegenerate coframe and ${\omega }_{ab}=-{\omega }_{ba}$. Fix the curvature conventionThe second expression is Cartan's first structure equation; the first is Cartan's second structure equation. Use compactly supported variations, or boundary data that make the variation's surface term vanish.

For a connection variation, $\delta R^{ab}=D\delta {\omega }^{ab}$, where $D$ is the covariant exterior derivative. Since $D{ϵ}_{abc}=0$, its graded product rule givesFor a coframe variation, relabeling the dummy indices makes the three variations of the cubic term identical. HenceThe independent variations therefore give ${ϵ}_{abc}{T}^c=0$ and ${ϵ}_{abc}(R^{ab}+3\lambda E^a\wedge E^b)=0$. In three dimensions the alternating symbol identifies an antisymmetric index pair with a single index, so these equations are equivalent toThese are the equations of first-order three-dimensional gravity. The first selects the Levi-Civita connection; the second fixes constant sectional curvature $K=-3\lambda$. The factor of three follows from varying the coefficient exactly as printed.

On a static coordinate patch where $f>0$, choose the Lorentz frame metric ${\eta }_{ab}=\mathrm{diag}(-1,1,1)$ and coframePut $A=f^{\prime }/(2\sqrt{f})$ and $B=\sqrt{f}/r$. Exterior differentiation gives $d{E}^0=-A{E}^0\wedge E^1$, $d{E}^1=0$, and $d{E}^2=B{E}^1\wedge E^2$. Solving the equation of vanishing torsion forms givesHere antisymmetry is in the two raised or two lowered frame indices; mixed time-space components have equal, rather than opposite, signs. This is the Lorentzian connection-form antisymmetry needed to retain the curvature signs.

Using Cartan's second structure equation, the nonzero curvature 2-forms areFor example, $d(A{E}^0)=-(\sqrt{f}{A}^{\prime }+A^2)E^0\wedge E^1=-f^{\prime \prime }{E}^0\wedge E^1/2$, while the $02$ form is the product ${\omega }^0{}_1\wedge {\omega }^{12}=-AB{E}^0\wedge E^2$. Thus the field equations require $f^{\prime \prime }/2=3\lambda$ and $f^{\prime }/(2r)=3\lambda$. Integrating the latter gives $f=C+3\lambda r^2$; the former is then satisfied automatically. The origin condition fixes $C=1$, yieldingAs a sign and normalization check, the Ricci tensor is $R_{\mu \nu }=-6\lambda g_{\mu \nu }$ and the scalar curvature is $R=-18\lambda$. The coframe calculation applies initially in the region with $f>0$; if $\lambda <0$, $f$ vanishes at $r=1/\sqrt{-3\lambda }$, delimiting that static chart without changing the derived function.

A connection on a vector bundle $E\to M$ is an $\mathbb{R}$-linear mapsatisfying $\nabla (fs)=df\otimes s+f\nabla s$. Equivalently its directional version is real-bilinear and satisfiesFor a complex bundle it is complex-linear in the section variable and has the same Leibniz property.

Every smooth vector bundle over an ordinary Hausdorff, second-countable smooth manifold has such a connection. Choose trivializing open sets $U_a$, local frames $e_{a,i}$ and a subordinate locally finite partition of unity ${\rho }_a$. In each frame define the flat local connectionThen set $\nabla s={\sum }_a{\rho }_a{\nabla }^{(a)}(s{|}_{U_a})$, extending each weighted term by zero outside $U_a$. The supports lie inside the corresponding trivializing sets, making the extensions smooth, and local finiteness makes the sum smooth. Since ${\sum }_a{\rho }_a=1$, its Leibniz rule isThis is the construction of a vector bundle connection by a partition of unity.

The difference $A={\nabla }^{\prime }-\nabla$ of two connections is $C^{\infty }(M)$-linear in both its vector-field argument and its section argument. The derivative terms cancel, so $A_{X}s$ depends only on $X_p,s_p$ at each point. Smooth local coefficients therefore identify it withConversely, any such $A$ added to a connection preserves its axioms. Thus connections form an affine space modeled on ${\Omega }^1(M;\mathrm{End}E)$. Choosing a base connection ${\nabla }^0$ gives the noncanonical bijection $A\mapsto {\nabla }^0+A$; there is no distinguished zero connection and hence no canonical vector-space identification. This is the affine space of vector-bundle connections.

For a connection on $TM$, the torsion tensor is the alternating operation $\tau (X,Y)={\nabla }_{X}Y-{\nabla }_{Y}X-[X,Y]$. The connection and bracket Leibniz rules giveAlternation then gives $\tau (X,fY)=f\tau (X,Y)$ as well. Hence it is tensorial, of type one contravariant and two covariant indices:It is equivalently a $TM$-valued two-form, a torsion form.

For the local frame $e_i$ with dual coframe ${\varphi }_j$, defineThe connection is $C^{\infty }$-linear in $X$, so these are smooth differential one-forms. Expansion in the frame gives ${\nabla }_X{e}_i={\sum }_j{\omega }_{ij}(X)e_j$, and uniqueness follows by applying each ${\varphi }_j$. Here the first index is the input frame vector and the second the output coefficient; this fixes the connection one-form convention.

Expand $Y={\sum }_i{\varphi }_i(Y)e_i$ and apply the connection Leibniz rule:Subtract the corresponding expression with $X,Y$ exchanged, and then subtract ${\varphi }_j([X,Y])$. By the exterior derivative of a one-form evaluated on vector fields,Since all pairs of tangent vectors can be tested, equality of the two-forms follows:This is the Cartan first structure equation with input-first indices. Its plus sign is correct with the stated index order and wedge order; the common output-first convention writes the same identity with a minus sign and reversed wedge factors.

An affine connection on $M$ is an operation $(Y,X)\mapsto {\nabla }_{Y}X$ on smooth vector fields that is real-bilinear, linear over $C^{\infty }(M)$ in the differentiating field, and satisfiesIt is a connection on a vector bundle for the bundle $TM$, also called a linear connection on the manifold. Its curvature form of a connection has the operator formThis convention fixes its sign. Expanding the two connection product rules shows that the extra derivatives of a scalar cancel, so $R$ is linear over smooth functions in all three fields. For a Levi-Civita connection, this is the Riemann curvature tensor.

The torsion form is $T(Y,Z)={\nabla }_{Y}Z-{\nabla }_{Z}Y-[Y,Z]$. For a Riemannian metric $g$, its Levi-Civita connection is the unique torsion-free connection satisfying metric compatibilityExistence and uniqueness follow from the Koszul formula. In coordinates its coefficients areSymmetry in $b,c$ gives zero torsion, and substitution verifies metric compatibility.

The product Riemannian metric isIt is smooth and symmetric. If $(u_1,u_2)\ne 0$, at least one component is nonzero and contributes a strictly positive squared norm; the other contributes a nonnegative term. Thus $g$ is positive definite.

Let the factor connections be Levi-Civita connections. The torsion form of the product affine connection vanishes on two lifted fields from one factor because it equals the factor torsion; on opposite-factor fields it vanishes because both covariant derivatives and the Lie bracket of vector fields vanish. By tensoriality, torsion vanishes for all fields.

Check metric compatibility on lifted fields as well. When the two paired fields are from one factor, their metric pairing depends only on that factor. Differentiation along that factor gives the usual factor compatibility identity, and differentiation along the other factor gives zero on both sides. When the paired fields are from different factors, their pairing is identically zero and their derivatives stay in their original summands, so both sides are again zero. Since $\nabla g$ has tensoriality, these checks imply $\nabla g=0$ globally.

The existence and uniqueness of the Levi-Civita connection therefore givesEquivalently, applying the Christoffel symbol formula to the block metric gives the factor coefficients and zero mixed coefficients, because each factor metric is independent of the other coordinates.

The Levi-Civita connection is a torsion-free connection. Its torsion form isSince $T=0$,In coordinates this is the symmetry ${\Gamma }_{jk}^i={\Gamma }_{kj}^i$ of the Christoffel symbols.