Durham University

EXAMINATION PAPER

revision date exam code

May/June 2012 063331/01

description

General Relativity III

Time allowed:
3 hours

Examination material provided:

None

Instructions:
Credit will be given for the best FOUR answers from Section A
and the best THREE answers from Section B.
Questions in Section B carry TWICE as many marks as those in Section A.
Use of electronic calculators is forbidden.

Visiting Erasmus students are permitted dictionaries.

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SECTION A

1. The Schwarzschild metric in ingoing Eddington coordinates has the line element
 
2 2M
ds = − 1 − dv 2 + 2 dv dr + r2 (dθ2 + sin2 θ dφ2 )
r

(a) Write the metric gµν as a 4 × 4 matrix in these coordinates.

(b) What are the coordinate singularities?
(c) What are the curvature singularities?
(d) Is this spacetime asymptotically flat?

2. (a) Write down Einstein’s equation, and describe in words what the terms in it
mean.
(b) For a generic four-dimensional spacetime, how many independent components
does Einstein’s equation represent?
(c) What is the vacuum Einstein equation?
(d) Does the Minkowski metric gab = ηab solve the Einstein equations with Tab = 0
but Λ 6= 0?

3. Consider the following cosmological model:

ds2 = −dt2 + t2p1 dx21 + t2p2 dx22 + t2p3 dx23 ,

where pi are distinct constants. Answer the following, giving brief reasons.

(a) Is this metric spatially homogeneous?

(b) Is it isotropic?
(c) Are the curves of constant xi geodesics?
[Hint: you can argue the answer using constants of motion.]

4. Let φ be a scalar field which satisfies the wave equation g ab ∇a ∇b φ = 0. Find the
value of the constant C so that that the stress tensor
C
Tab = ∇a φ∇b φ − gab ∇c φ ∇c φ
2
is conserved, i.e.
∇a Tab = 0 .

5. Consider the metric on the two dimensional de Sitter spacetime:

dr2
ds2 = −(r2 − 1) dt2 +
r2 − 1
(a) Compute the Christoffel symbols for this geometry.
(b) Write down the geodesic equations.

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6. Consider the curve C given by

1 1 1
(t(λ), x(λ), y(λ), z(λ)) = (cosh λ, √ sinh λ, √ sinh λ, √ sinh λ)
3 2 6

in the 4-dimensional Minkowski spacetime ds2 = −dt2 + dx2 + dy 2 + dz 2 .

(a) Find the tangent vector to C.

Is C spacelike, timelike, or null?
Does this tangent vector describe a 4-velocity?
(b) Find the proper length of C between λ = −1 and λ = 1.
(c) Is C a geodesic? (Explain why.)

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SECTION B

7. Consider a timelike curve C in a curved spacetime with unit tangent vector ua . A

vector v a is said to be Fermi-Walker transported along C if:

ua ∇a v b = 2 u[b Ac] vc

where Ac = ua ∇a uc is the acceleration of ua .

(a) Show that the tangent vector ua itself is always Fermi-Walker transported along
C.
(b) Show that if 2 vectors are Fermi-Walker transported along C then their inner
product remains constant.
(c) For what class of curves C does Fermi-Walker transport agree with parallel
transport, i.e. ua ∇a v b = 0 for all v b ?

8. The Robertson-Walker metric has the form

dr2
 
2 2 2 2 2 2 2
ds = −dt + a(t) + r (dθ + sin θ dϕ ) ,
1 − k r2

where a(t) is a function of t alone and k = 0, ±1. For this geometry we find that
the non-zero components of the Ricci tensor are:

ä a ä + 2 ȧ2 + 2 k 1 2
a ä + 2 ȧ2 + 2 k


Rtt = −3 , Rrr = , Rθθ = 2 Rφφ = r
a 1 − k r2 sin θ
da(t)
where ȧ = dt
. You may also find it useful to know that

ȧ
Γrrt = Γθθt = Γφφt =
a
Suppose we have a fluid with pressure P and energy density ρ propagating in this
geometry; the stress tensor for such a fluid is given by

Tab = (P + ρ) ua ub + P gab

(a) What is the four-velocity of the fluid if it is at rest in co-moving coordinates?

(b) Write down the conservation equations for the stress tensor. Further, show
that if the pressure is given in terms of the energy density as P = w ρ, then
the time-component of the conservation equation takes the form
d d
log ρ = C log a(t) .
dt dt
Determine the constant C.
(c) Write down Einstein’s equations including a cosmological constant and re-

2
express them to give the Friedmann equations, i.e., determine ȧa and äa .

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9. Consider the space-time metric given by

dr2
 
1
2 2
ds = −r 1 − 3 dt2 + 2 1

+ r2 (dx2 + dy 2 ).
r r 1− r3

(a) Identify three quantities which are constant along geodesics, corresponding to
the Killing vectors ∂t , ∂x and ∂y respectively.
(b) Show that the geodesic equations can be reduced to an equation of the form
ṙ2 + V (r) = K 2 , for some potential function V (r). Fix K in terms of the
constants of motion from part (a).
(c) Sketch the potential V (r) for null geodesics. Is it possible for a photon to move
in a circular orbit r = r0 in this space-time? If so, find r0 , and state whether
the orbit is stable or unstable.
(d) Sketch V (r) for timelike geodesics and show that for fixed values of the con-
served quantities there is a maximal radial distance rmax that can be attained
the geodesics. Find an equation for rmax as a function of the conserved quan-
tities.
(e) Show that it takes infinite proper time for any null geodesic to go from r =
ri > 1 to r → ∞, but the same trajectory is covered in finite coordinate time
t. What happens when ri → 1?

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10. A commutator of two smooth vector fields v and w is defined by

[v, w](f ) = v(w(f )) − w(v(f )) .

In fact, this definition can be used to define a derivative operator, called Lie deriva-
tive, which gives the derivative of w along v. We denote it by Lv w = [v, w].
For smooth functions f , we define the Lie derivative along a vector field v, Lv f , by
writing Lv f = v µ ∂µ f . Given these definitions:

(a) Show that this derivative operator satisfies the Liebnitz rule:

Lv (f w) = f Lv w + w Lv f.

(b) Calculate the components of the Lie derivative of a one-form ωµ .

Hint: Use the fact that ωµ wµ is a scalar, and the Liebnitz rule Lv (ωµ wµ ) =
ωµ (Lv w)µ + wµ (Lv ω)µ .
(c) It is also useful to extend the definition to (0, 2) tensors, and in particular
apply it to the metric. Using the formula for (Lv w)ν derived in the previous
part, find the expression for (Lv g)µν . Make sure that your answer now is given
in terms of covariant derivatives.
(d) If (Lv g)µν = 0, the metric is said to have an isometry along v. (If e.g. v = ∂z ,
gµν will be independent of z.) Show that this condition is equivalent to Killing’s
equation:
∇µ vν + ∇ν vµ = 0 ,
where ∇µ is the standard metric compatible covariant derivative.

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