The Einstein equation should be divided by two

MaRDI QIDQ1574055zbMATH OpenFDO

Authors Hans-Jürgen Schmidt

Publication date 29 July 2001

Published in Gravitation \& Cosmology (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/gr-qc/9608028

zbMATH Keywords

Einstein equationgeometry

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Global differential geometry of Lorentz manifolds, manifolds with indefinite metrics (53C50) Einstein's equations (general structure, canonical formalism, Cauchy problems) (83C05) Geometrodynamics and the holographic principle (83E05)

Abstract: We present three reasons for rewriting the Einstein equation. The new version is physically equivalent but geometrically more clear. 1. We write $4pi$ instead of $8pi$ at the r.h.s, and we explain how this factor enters as surface area of the unit 2--sphere. 2. We define the Riemann curvature tensor and its contractions (including the Einstein tensor at the l.h.s.) with one half of its usual value. This compensates not only for the change made at the r.h.s., but it gives the result that the curvature scalar of the unit 2--sphere equals one, i.e., in two dimensions, now the Gaussian curvature and the Ricci scalar coincide. 3. For the commutator $[u,v]$ of the vector fields $u$ and $v$ we prefer to write (because of the analogy with the antisymmetrization of tensors) ${\displaystyle }$[u,v] = frac{1}{2} , ( , u, v - v , u ,)${\displaystyle }$ which is one half of the usual value. Then, the curvature operator defined by ${\displaystyle }$

abla_{[u} abla_{v]} quad - quad

abla_{[u,,v]}${\displaystyle }$ (where $abla$ denotes the covariant derivative) is consistent with point 2, i.e., it equals one half of the usual value.

Review text

The purpose of this paper is to rewrite Einstein's equations with more geometrical insight. The geometrical reason for this is that the curvature scalar of a unit 2-sphere should be one. This leads to the fact that: (a) the commutator \([u,v]\) should be \([u,v] = \frac{1}{2}(uv-vu)\), (b) the right-hand side of Einstein's equations should be divided by two. The result of this paper is that by the more natural geometrical definitions the Einstein's equations should be divided by two.

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