Normal coordinates and adapted frames (Q910009)

This paper gives a discussion of the local investigation of metric geometries (for example in general relativity) using the methods of Cartan. Section 1 gives a brief review of Cartan's methods and notation. In section 2 a local expression for the metric (arbitrary dimension and signature) in a normal coordinate neighbourhood U of some point p of a manifold M is derived by choosing an orthonormal frame and coframe at p and spreading them to a moving frame and coframe defined on U by parallel propagation along the unique geodesic connecting the particular point of U and p. In section 3, the methods of section 2 are generalized by giving a discussion of local metric geometries whose metric components in some (not necessarily normal) coordinate system take a form similar in structure to that obtained in normal coordinates in section 2. The Cartan theory is again worked through to calculate the orthonormal frames and dual co-frames and then to relate the functions appearing in the expression for the metric to the metric's connection and curvature structure. A non-uniqueness of a certain collection of 1-forms is then exploited and developed in section 4. In the final section of the paper the author provides a framework within which, he claims, one can study the so-called ``half-flat'' metrics on a 4-dimensional manifold. The 2-component spinor formalism is used and builds on work by the author and by Newman, Penrose and others. In view of the calculations involved the reviewer feels that the paper would have benefitted from an informal summary of the results achieved.