Geodesic Vector Fields on a Riemannian Manifold

Abstract

A unit geodesic vector field on a Riemannian manifold is a vector field whose integral curves are geodesics, or in other worlds have zero acceleration. A geodesic vector field on a Riemannian manifold is a smooth vector field with acceleration of each of its integral curves is proportional to velocity. In this paper, we show that the presence of a geodesic vector field on a Riemannian manifold influences its geometry. We find characterizations of n-spheres as well as Euclidean spaces using geodesic vector fields.

Keywords

• geodesic vector field
• eikonal equation
• isometric to sphere
• isometric to euclidean space