Ask Your Question
1

Transforming Metric Tensor with Differentials

asked 2023-01-18 10:06:15 +0100

Jack Zuffante gravatar image

Is it possible to transform a metric tensor by writing the new differentials in terms of the old ones, rather than writing the transition map (since there are cases where the coordinate relations have large integrals)?

edit retag flag offensive close merge delete

1 Answer

Sort by » oldest newest most voted
1

answered 2023-01-19 10:53:18 +0100

eric_g gravatar image

updated 2023-01-22 17:41:45 +0100

EDIT (22 Jan 2023): what you are asking for is possible, provided one introduces the vector frame that is dual to the basis constituted by the new differentials. Here is a full example:

Defining the metric tensor in some chart X = $(x,y)$ on a RIemannian manifold:

sage: M = Manifold(2, 'M', structure='Riemannian')
sage: X.<x,y> = M.chart()
sage: dx, dy = X.coframe()
sage: g = M.metric()
sage: g.set((1 + x^2)*(dx*dx) + dy*dy)
sage: g.display()
g = (x^2 + 1) dx⊗dx + dy⊗dy

Considering a change of coordinates that involves a "complicated" integral:

$$ u = y + \int_0^x\frac{\mathrm{d}t}{1 + e^{-t^2}}$$

The corresponding differential is

sage: du = 1/(1 + exp(-x^2))*dx + dy

Suppose one wants to express the metric tensor in terms of the differentials $(\mathrm{d}x, \mathrm{d}u)$, instead of the default coframe $(\mathrm{d}x, \mathrm{d}y)$. First, we introduce the matrix $A$ linking $(\mathrm{d}x,\mathrm{d}y)$ to $(\mathrm{d}x, \mathrm{d}u)$ as follows

sage: A = matrix([[w[j] for j in M.irange()] for w in (dx, du)])
sage: A
[               1                0]
[1/(e^(-x^2) + 1)                1]

Then we compute its inverse in order to form the vector frame $f$ dual to $(\mathrm{d}x, \mathrm{d}u)$:

sage: P = A.inverse()
sage: n = dim(M)
sage: vf = [ M.vector_field([P[j,i] for j in range(n)]) for i in range(n) ]
sage: vf[0].display()
∂/∂x - e^(x^2)/(e^(x^2) + 1) ∂/∂y
sage: vf[1].display()
∂/∂y

At this stage, the variable vf represents $f$ as a list of vector fields. In order to turn it to a vector frame on $M$, we declare

sage: f = M.vector_frame('f', vf, symbol_dual=['dx', 'du'],
....:                    latex_symbol_dual=[r'\mathrm{d}x', r'\mathrm{d}u'])

Let us check that f is the vector frame dual to $(\mathrm{d}x, \mathrm{d}u)$:

sage: f.coframe()[0].display()
dx = dx
sage: f.coframe()[1].display()
du = e^(x^2)/(e^(x^2) + 1) dx + dy

We can then get the expansion of the metric tensor in terms of the 'new' differentials $(\mathrm{d}x, \mathrm{d}u)$ via

sage: g.display(f)
g = (x^2 + (x^2 + 2)*e^(2*x^2) + 2*(x^2 + 1)*e^(x^2) + 1)/(e^(2*x^2) + 2*e^(x^2) + 1) dx⊗dx - e^(x^2)/(e^(x^2) + 1) dx⊗du - e^(x^2)/(e^(x^2) + 1) du⊗dx + du⊗du

Alternative method, involving a transition map

It is possible to define transition maps with integrals that Sage cannot evaluate, such as the above one, provided one uses the keyword hold=True. Let us then introduce explicitly the chart Y = $(x,u)$ on $M$:

sage: Y.<x,u> = M.chart()
sage: t = var('t')
sage: X_to_Y = X.transition_map(Y, (x, y + integrate(1/(1 + exp(-t^2)), t, 0, x, hold=True)))
sage: X_to_Y.display()
x = x
u = y + integrate(1/(e^(-t^2) + 1), t, 0, x)
sage: X_to_Y.set_inverse(x, u - integrate(1/(1 + exp(-t^2)), t, 0, x, hold=True), check=False)
sage: X_to_Y.inverse().display()
x = x
y = u - integrate(1/(e^(-t^2) + 1), t, 0, x)

Checking that Sage is capable to evaluate the differential $\mathrm{d}u$ correctly:

sage: dx, du = Y.coframe()
sage: du.display()
du = e^(x^2)/(e^(x^2) + 1) dx + dy

Getting the expression of the metric tensor in terms of $\mathrm{d}x$ and $\mathrm{d}u$:

sage: g.display(Y)  # same result as above
g = (x^2 + (x^2 + 2)*e^(2*x^2) + 2*(x^2 + 1)*e^(x^2) + 1)/(e^(2*x^2) + 2*e^(x^2) + 1) dx⊗dx - e^(x^2)/(e^(x^2) + 1) dx⊗du - e^(x^2)/(e^(x^2) + 1) du⊗dx + du⊗du
edit flag offensive delete link more

Your Answer

Please start posting anonymously - your entry will be published after you log in or create a new account.

Add Answer

Question Tools

1 follower

Stats

Asked: 2023-01-18 10:06:15 +0100

Seen: 192 times

Last updated: Jan 22 '23