Cartan's 1924 mystery formula differential Geometry

In summary, the conversation discusses a formula introduced by Cartan in the book "Geometry of Riemannian Spaces and Lie Groups" without a proof, which deals with the Riemann curvature tensor and bivectors. The formula is similar to the way the electromagnetic tensor two-form is written and is also mentioned in an article by John Wheeler. The conversation also mentions a similar version of the formula in the book "Gravitation" by MTW.
  • #1
zn5252
72
0
hey all,
in this book ;
https://www.amazon.com/Geometry-Riemannian-Spaces-Lie-Groups/dp/0915692341/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1348590926&sr=8-1&keywords=geometry+of+riemannian+++spaces++cartan
On page 178 ( which I attach a snapshot of it) Cartan had introduced a formula (see in the snapshot formula 6) without any proof ! it deals with the Riemann curvature tensor and bivectors.
Does someone know where does this formula come from please ? I believe this is equivalent to the way we write the electromagnetism tensor two-form :
F = 1/2 dxμ ^ dxσ Fμσ
This is somehow related to the formula used by John wheeler in the article : http://www.springerlink.com/content/y04t0w6xg064517q/
where we can see a snapshot of the page on which it was mentioned :
Thank you,
cheers,
 

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Last edited:
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  • #2
I think i found a twin version of it in MTW (Gravitation) page 281. See attached.
Damn was I blind ?
 

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Related to Cartan's 1924 mystery formula differential Geometry

1. What is Cartan's 1924 mystery formula in differential geometry?

Cartan's 1924 mystery formula, also known as Cartan's homotopy formula, is a formula in differential geometry that relates the exterior derivative of a differential form to its Lie derivative along a vector field. It provides a way to calculate the Lie derivative of a differential form without explicitly using the Lie bracket.

2. Who discovered Cartan's 1924 mystery formula?

The formula was first discovered by French mathematician Élie Cartan in 1924. Cartan was a pioneer in the field of differential geometry and made many important contributions to the subject.

3. What is the significance of Cartan's 1924 mystery formula?

Cartan's 1924 mystery formula has significant applications in differential geometry, particularly in the study of Lie groups and their actions on manifolds. It also has connections to other areas of mathematics, such as topology and algebraic geometry.

4. How is Cartan's 1924 mystery formula derived?

The formula is derived using the concept of a connection, which is a way of differentiating vector fields on a manifold. By taking the exterior derivative of a connection form and using the Cartan structure equations, Cartan's formula can be obtained.

5. What are some modern developments related to Cartan's 1924 mystery formula?

Since its discovery, Cartan's formula has undergone many generalizations and extensions, such as the generalization to Riemannian manifolds and the development of the Cartan homotopy formula on supermanifolds. It continues to be an active area of research in differential geometry and related fields.

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