Shwartzschild coordinate system

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the impossibility of directly transforming Schwarzschild coordinate components of time and distance into flat Minkowski spacetime. The participants establish that while local approximations can be made using Minkowski polar coordinates, a true transformation is unattainable due to the inherent differences in the manifolds. Key distinctions include the behavior of geodesics, where Minkowski allows for at most one intersection, while Schwarzschild can permit multiple intersections. The Ricci scalar and Kretschmann scalar are highlighted as important curvature scalars that further illustrate the fundamental differences between these spacetimes.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of Schwarzschild metric and its components
  • Familiarity with Minkowski spacetime and its properties
  • Knowledge of geodesics and their behavior in different spacetimes
  • Basic concepts of curvature scalars, specifically Ricci and Kretschmann scalars
NEXT STEPS
  • Study the properties of the Schwarzschild metric in general relativity
  • Explore the implications of curvature scalars in different spacetimes
  • Learn about local approximations in curved spacetimes using Minkowski coordinates
  • Investigate the mathematical foundations of geodesics in both Schwarzschild and Minkowski spacetimes
USEFUL FOR

The discussion is beneficial for physicists, particularly those specializing in general relativity, as well as students and researchers interested in the mathematical intricacies of spacetime transformations and curvature. It is also relevant for anyone studying the differences between curved and flat geometries in theoretical physics.

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TL;DR
Transformation equations from Schwarzschild coordinate and metric to Minkowski space time
Is there any direct transformation equations from schwarzschild coordinate components of time and distance to a flat Minkowsky space time?
These basis vectors seem to be capable of producing the Shwarzschild metric:
et=√(1-rs/r)cosh(ct) eT +√(1-rs/r)sinh(ct) eR
er=(1/√(1-rs/r))sinh(ct) eT +(1/√(1-rs/r))cosh(ct) eR
(et&er for Schwarzschild and eT&eR for Minkowsky) But when Jacobian matrix is derived, the problem emerges ...
 
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They are different manifolds so there is not a coordinate transform between them. Of course locally you can always find coordinates that approximate Minkowski to first order.
 
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omidj said:
Is there any direct transformation equations from schwarzschild coordinate components of time and distance to a flat Minkowsky space time?
It cannot be done, for about the same reason that we cannot find a transformation between latitude and longitude on the curved surface of the earth and cartesian x-y coordinates on a euclidean plane.

We can of course ignore the curvature completely and use ordinary Minkowski polar coordinates as an approximation valid over sufficiently small regions of spacetime, analogous to the way that we treat the surface of the earth as flat across a sufficiently small area.
 
omidj said:
Is there any direct transformation equations from schwarzschild coordinate components of time and distance to a flat Minkowsky space time?
Please use LaTeX.

As it was already said, such a transformation is impossible. Each spacetime comes with its inherent quantities that are invariant under coordinate transformations. Geodesics in Minkowski spacetime (straight lines) can intersect each other once at most. In Schwarzschild spacetime, they may do so many times (for example: circular orbits in opposite directions). No coordinate transformation can change that.
The question of equivalence up to a coordinate transformation can be a complex challenge in the general case. Sometime it is sufficient to consider a few curvature scalars. Scalar fields are invariant under coordinate transformations, like the Ricci scalar ##R=R^\mu{}_\mu## . For the example given by @Nugatory in post #3, the 2D Euclidean plane has ##R=0## , while the unit sphere has ##R=2## , which proves the claim that they are fundamentally distinct.

Edit: corrected error
 
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PeterDonis said:
Note that in Schwarzschild spacetime, which is a vacuum solution, this scalar is zero. The simplest nonzero curvature scalar in Schwarzschild spacetime is the Kretschmann scalar:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kretschmann_scalar
Yes. I should have mentioned it in #4.
 

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