Lie Bracket, Flow Curves

and Torsion
(Also see Videos 17-20: Covariant Derivative)
(Links in the description)
Lie Bracket (Commutator) of
Vector Fields
[𝑢 𝑣 ] =𝑢
⃗,⃗ ⃗(⃗
𝑣) − ⃗ ⃗)
𝑣 (𝑢
1. Required for understanding Riemann Curvature Tensor
(Related Ricci Tensor is in the Einstein Field Equations)

⃗,⃗
𝑅 (𝑢 𝑣 )=∇𝑢⃗ ∇ ⃗𝑣 − ∇ ⃗𝑣 ∇𝑢⃗ − ∇ [ ⃗𝑢 , ⃗𝑣 ]

2. Get a better understanding of “Torsion Free”

Basis vectors
What does it mean to “Travel Along” a vector field?

Flow-Field:
• Vector arrows tell
you velocity
⃗ =1 𝑒
𝑣 ⃗𝑥 + 𝑥 ⃗
𝑒𝑦
What does it mean to “Travel Along” a vector field?

⃗ =1 𝑒
𝑣 ⃗𝑥 + 𝑥 ⃗
𝑒𝑦
What does it mean to “Travel Along” a vector field?

𝑥 ( 𝜆 )= 𝜆+𝑐
Flow curve / Integral Curve =
a curve that is tangent
to all vectors in a vector field

[𝑢 𝑣 ] =𝑢
⃗,⃗ ⃗(⃗
𝑣) − ⃗ ⃗)
𝑣 (𝑢
Lie Bracket
[𝑢 𝑣 ] =𝑢
⃗,⃗ ⃗(⃗
𝑣) − ⃗ ⃗)
𝑣 (𝑢

Derivative of Derivative of
in the direction. in the direction.
Finding change of one vector field along another vector field
⃗ =1 ⃗
𝑢 𝑒𝑥 ⃗ =𝑥 ⃗
𝑣 𝑒𝑦
Finding change of along .
Finding change of along .
Finding change of along .
Finding change of along .
Finding change of along .
Finding change along ,.

𝑢 )= ⃗0
⃗ (⃗
𝑣 ⃗ (⃗
𝑢 𝑣 )= ⃗
𝑒𝑦
Finding change along ,.

⃗ (⃗
𝑣 𝑢 )= ⃗ 0
⃗ (⃗
𝑢 𝑣 )= ⃗
𝑒𝑦
Finding change of one vector field along another vector field
⃗ =1 ⃗
𝑢 𝑒𝑥 ⃗ =𝑥 ⃗
𝑣 𝑒𝑦
Finding change of one vector field along another vector field
⃗ =1 ⃗
𝑢 𝑒𝑥 ⃗
𝑤 =𝑦 ⃗
𝑒𝑦
Finding change along ,.

⃗ 𝑢 ) =⃗
𝑤 (⃗ 0
𝑢 𝑤 ) =⃗
⃗ (⃗ 0
[⃗
𝑢,⃗
𝑣 ]=⃗
𝑒𝑦 ⃗ ⃗ ⃗
[ 𝑢 , 𝑤 ]= 0
 ⃗ (⃗
𝑢 𝑣) [⃗
𝑢,⃗
𝑣]

⃗ (⃗
𝑣 𝑢)
⃗
𝑢 ⃗
𝑢
⃗
𝑣
⃗
𝑣
Coordinate lines
are just flows curves
along basis vectors.
𝑦

𝜃
𝑝
𝑥 𝑞
𝑟
 𝜕𝑟
𝜕𝜃
𝜃
𝜕𝑟
𝜕𝜃 𝑟
𝜕𝜃
𝜕𝑟
Lie Bracket / Commutator =
measures how much
vector field flow curves
fail to close.
Lie Bracket

Defining the Torsion Tensor…

∇ 𝑢⃗ ⃗
𝑣 −∇ ⃗𝑣 ⃗
𝑢
Connection
(defined by )
Vector Fields
Review Definition of Covariant
Derivative

𝑘
∇ 𝜕 𝜕 𝑗 =Γ 𝜕𝑘
𝑖 𝑖𝑗

(see videos 17-20

for more info)
Review Definition of Covariant
Derivative
𝑣 =𝑢 ( 𝜕𝑖 𝑣 + 𝑣 Γ 𝑖𝑗 ) 𝜕𝑘 ∇ 𝜕 𝜕 𝑗 =Γ 𝑖𝑗 𝜕𝑘
𝑖 𝑘 𝑗 𝑘 𝑘
∇ 𝑢⃗ ⃗ 𝑖

Γ = 𝔤 ( 𝜕 𝑗 𝑔𝑚𝑖 + 𝜕𝑖 𝑔 𝑗𝑚 − 𝜕𝑚 𝑔 𝑖𝑗 )
Levi-Civita Connection
𝑘1 𝑚𝑘
𝑖𝑗
2

Parallel Transport
Levi-Civita Connection Boring Connection
~ 𝑘
Γ 𝑖𝑗 =0

𝑣⃗ 𝑣⃗
~
∇ 𝑑 𝑣 = ⃗0
⃗ ∇ 𝑑 𝑣 = ⃗0
⃗
𝑑𝜆 𝑑𝜆
The connection defines what
“parallel transport” means.

⃗
𝑢 ⃗
𝑢 ⃗
𝑢
𝑣⃗ 𝑣⃗ ~ 𝑣⃗
∇ ∇ ⃛
∇
 Parallel Transport in Polar Coordinates
Γ = 𝔤 ( 𝜕 𝑗 𝑔𝑚𝑖 + 𝜕𝑖 𝑔 𝑗𝑚 − 𝜕𝑚 𝑔 𝑖𝑗 )
1 𝑚𝑘 ~ 𝑘
Γ 𝑖𝑗 =0
𝑘
𝑖𝑗
2

𝜃 𝜃

𝑟 𝑟
 𝑣 )= ⃗0
∇ 𝑢⃗ ( ⃗

𝑢 )= ⃗0
∇ 𝑣⃗ ( ⃗
⃗
𝑢
𝑣⃗
 ∇ 𝑢⃗ ( ⃗
𝑣)
[⃗
𝑢,⃗
𝑣] Torsion Tensor
𝑻 (𝑢⃗ , ⃗𝑣 ) ∇ 𝑣⃗ ( ⃗
𝑢)
𝑇 ( 𝑢⃗ , 𝑣⃗ )
⃗
𝑢 Separation between
parallel transported
𝑣⃗ vectors lines.

⃗,𝑣
𝑇 (𝑢 𝑣−[⃗
⃗ ) =∇ ⃗𝑢 ⃗ 𝑣 ] − ∇ ⃗𝑣 𝑢
𝑢,⃗ ⃗
⃗
𝑢
𝑣⃗
 ∇ 𝑢⃗ ( ⃗
𝑣) [⃗
𝑢,⃗
𝑣]
“Torsion-Free” means
parallel-transported
⃗
𝑢
∇ 𝑣⃗ ( ⃗
𝑢)

vectors close properly.

𝑣⃗
Torsion Tensor
Torsion Tensor

𝑖 𝑗 𝑗 𝑖 𝑖 𝑗
𝑣 𝑢 ( 𝜕𝑖 𝜕 𝑗 ) =𝑣 𝑢 ( 𝜕 𝑗 𝜕𝑖 )=𝑢 𝑣 ( 𝜕𝑖 𝜕 𝑗 )
Torsion Tensor
Torsion Tensor
Torsion Tensor
Torsion Tensor
Torsion Tensor
Torsion-Free connection
Summary

Flow curves:
• Vector arrows tell
you velocity
Summary – Lie Bracket
[𝑢 𝑣 ] =𝑢
⃗,⃗ ⃗(⃗
𝑣) − ⃗ ⃗)
𝑣 (𝑢
⃗ (⃗
𝑢 𝑣) [⃗
𝑢,⃗
𝑣]

⃗ (⃗
𝑣 𝑢)
⃗
𝑢
⃗
𝑣
Summary – Torsion
⃗,𝑣
𝑇 (𝑢 ⃗ ) =∇ ⃗𝑢 ⃗ ⃗ − [𝑢
𝑣 − ∇ ⃗𝑣 𝑢 ⃗]
⃗ ,𝑣
∇ 𝑢⃗ ⃗
𝑣 [⃗
𝑢,⃗
𝑣] 𝑖 𝑗 𝑘
𝑇 (𝑢
⃗ , 𝑣⃗ ) =𝑢 𝑣 𝑇 𝜕 𝑖𝑗 𝑘
⃗,⃗
𝑻 (𝑢 𝑣) ∇ 𝑣⃗ ⃗
𝑢
⃗
𝑢 𝑘
𝑇 =Γ − Γ
𝑖𝑗
𝑘
𝑖𝑗
𝑘
𝑗𝑖

⃗
𝑣