RIEMANN TENSOR IN THE SCHWARZSCHILD METRIC

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Reference: Moore, Thomas A., A General Relativity Workbook, Univer-
sity Science Books (2013) - Chapter 18; Problem P18.6.
We’ll calculate one component of the Riemann tensor for the Schwarzschild
metric. The tensor is

Rij`m ≡ ∂` Γimj − ∂m Γi`j + Γkmj Γi`k − Γk`j Γikm (1)

As usual, we need the Christoffel symbols, but we’ve already worked these
out.


GM

−1 
0 r2
1 − 2GM
r 0 0
GM

−1
1 − 2GM
 
Γtij =

r2 r 0 0 0 
 (2)
 0 0 0 0 
0 0 0 0
 GM

1 − 2GM


r2 r 0 0 0

−1
− GM 1 − 2GM
 
Γrij =
 0 r2 r 0 0 
2GM


 0 0 −r 1 − r 0 
2 2GM


0 0 0 −r sin θ 1 − r
(3)
 
0 0 0 0
 0 0 1 0
Γθij

= r  (4)
 0 1
r 0 0 
0 0 0 − sin θ cos θ
 
0 0 0 0
 0 0 1
0
Γφij

= r  (5)
 0 0 0 cot θ 
0 1r cot θ 0

We can plug these into the formula above to get Rtrtr . We have

Rtrtr = ∂t Γtrr − ∂r Γttr + Γkrr Γtkt − Γktr Γtrk (6)

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 RIEMANN TENSOR IN THE SCHWARZSCHILD METRIC 2

We can work out these terms one at a time (only the index k is sum-
mmed):

∂t Γtrr = 0 (7)
 −1  −2  
2GM 2GM GM 2GM 2GM
−∂r Γttr = 3
1− + 2 1−
r r r r r2
(8)
−1
2G2 M 2 2GM −2
  
2GM 2GM
= 1 − + 1 − (9)
r3 r r4 r
Γkrr Γtkt = Γrrr Γtrt (10)
G2 M 2 2GM −2
 
=− 4 1− (11)
r r
2
−Γktr Γtrk = − Γtrt


(12)
G2 M 2 2GM −2
 
=− 4 1− (13)
r r
Adding these up we get

2GM −1
 
2GM
Rtrtr= 1− (14)
r3 r
Since this is never zero, Schwarzschild spacetime is curved everywhere,
but as r → ∞, Rtrtr → 0 so the further we get from the mass, the less curved
the spacetime becomes.
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