General Relativity – Finding Coordinate Transformation Given Two Metrics

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Given the two-dimensional metric
$$ds^2=-r^2dt^2+dr^2$$
How can I find a coordinate transformation such that this metric reduces to the two-dimensional Minkowski metric?

I know that $g_{\mu\nu}=\begin{pmatrix}-r^2&0\\0&1\end{pmatrix}$ (this metric) and $\eta_{\mu\nu}=\begin{pmatrix}-1&0\\0&1\end{pmatrix}$ (Minkowski). Obviously, the matrix transformation is $\begin{pmatrix}1/r^2&0\\0&1\end{pmatrix}g_{\mu\nu}=\eta_{\mu\nu}$, but how is that related to the coordinate transformation itself?


EDIT: would the following transformation be acceptable?
$$r'=r\cosh t$$
$$t'=r\sinh t$$
Such that: $dr'=\cosh t\ dr+r\sinh t\ dt,\quad dt'=\sinh t\ dr+r\cosh t\ dt$

And: $ds'^2=-dt'^2+dr'^2=-r^2dt^2+dr^2=ds^2$

Where we have: $ds'^2=\eta_{\mu\nu}dx^{\mu}dx^{\nu}$ as requested.

Is that correct? Also, is there a formal way of "deriving" the proper change of coordinates (since mine is more of an educated guess)?

Best Answer

In the general case you want the Cartan-Karlhede algorithm. It is an algorithm for producing a complete set of classifying invariants for a metric, expressed as functions of the coordinates. Given the components of the metric $g$ in the coordinates $x_1, x_2, \ldots$, the algorithm produces a list \begin{align} \Lambda & = \Lambda(x_i) \\ \Psi_k & = \Psi_k(x_i) \quad k = 0,\ldots, 4 \\ R_{kj} & = R_{kj}(x_i) \quad k,j = 0,\ldots, 2 \\ \Lambda_{00} & = \Lambda_{00}(x_i)\\ & \;\; \vdots \end{align} where each quantity is defined in a way that is coordinate independent. (The names here are standard notation, but what each of them is, is a little beyond the scope of this answer.) This is in contrast to a quantity like $g_{00}$ whose value at a point depends on your coordinates. Of course, expressed as a function of coordinates, $\Lambda$ and the others may look very different in various coordinate systems, but at corresponding points, the value is the same.

Then if we have two metrics given, we can run the algorithm on both. If the metrics are really the same, but different coordinates, the invariants must agree. This gives a system of equations, \begin{align} \Lambda(x_i) & = \Lambda'(y_j) \\ \Psi_k(x_i) & = \Psi_k'(y_j) \\ & \;\; \vdots \end{align} which may or may not have a solution, $x_i = x_i(y_j)$. (For example if you do this with two Schwarzschild metrics in the standard coordinates, you find that it is necessary that $m = m'$.) If there is a solution, this is your change of coordinates.

There is a caveat to the preceding. It may be that not all the equations are independent. In $n$ dimensions we need $n$ equations but the algorithm may produce fewer independent equations. This happens precisely when there is a symmetry in the spacetime. Then there cannot a unique change of coordinates, because at least one coordinate is superfluous. Indeed for the case of flat metrics the entire system is just $0 = 0$.

In this case the algorithm only establishes that there exists a change of coordinates, but you have to look at some other invariant information to find a coordinate change. (You will not be able to find a unique change of coordinates because there are many.) One piece of such information is the Killing vectors.

(This particular case is amenable to the brute force method demonstrated in the other answers, but a more complicated metric in more than two dimensions is not.)

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