Solving the geodesic equations is a procedure used in mathematics, particularly Riemannian geometry, and in physics, particularly in general relativity, that results in obtaining geodesics. Physically, these represent the paths of (usually ideal) particles with no proper acceleration, their motion satisfying the geodesic equations. Because the particles are subject to no proper acceleration, the geodesics generally represent the straightest path between two points in a curved spacetime.
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The geodesic equation
On an n-dimensional Riemannian manifold
where the coordinates xa(s) are regarded as the coordinates of a curve γ(s) in
where the comma indicates a partial derivative with respect to the coordinates:
As the manifold has dimension
and applying the Euler–Lagrange equation.
Heuristics
As the laws of physics can be written in any coordinate system, it is convenient to choose one that simplifies the geodesic equations. Mathematically, this means a coordinate chart is chosen in which the geodesic equations have a particularly tractable form.
Effective potentials
When the geodesic equations can be separated into terms containing only an undifferentiated variable and terms containing only its derivative, the former may be consolidated into an effective potential dependent only on position. In this case, many of the heuristic methods of analysing energy diagrams apply, in particular the location of turning points.
Solution techniques
Solving the geodesic equations means obtaining an exact solution, possibly even the general solution, of the geodesic equations. Most attacks secretly employ the point symmetry group of the system of geodesic equations. This often yields a result giving a family of solutions implicitly, but in many examples does yield the general solution in explicit form.
In general relativity, to obtain timelike geodesics it is often simplest to start from the spacetime metric, after dividing by
where the dot represents differentiation with respect to