Symmetry, Integrability and Geometry: Methods and Applications SIGMA 7 (2011), 085, 12 pages
On the Projective Algebra of Randers Metrics
of Constant Flag Curvature
Mehdi RAFIE-RAD †‡ and Bahman REZAEI §
† School of Mathematics, Institute for Research in Fundamental Sciences (IPM),
P.O. Box 19395-5746, Tehran, Iran
‡ Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Mathematical Sciences, University of Mazandaran,
P.O. Box 47416-1467, Babolsar, Iran
E-mail: rafie-rad@umz.ac.ir, m.rafiei.rad@gmail.com
§ Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Sciences, University of Urmia, Urmia, Iran
E-mail: b.rezaei@urmia.ac.ir
Received February 26, 2011, in final form August 20, 2011; Published online August 31, 2011
http://dx.doi.org/10.3842/SIGMA.2011.085
Abstract. The collection of all projective vector fields on a Finsler space (M,F ) is a finite-
dimensional Lie algebra with respect to the usual Lie bracket, called the projective algebra
denoted by p(M,F ) and is the Lie algebra of the projective group P (M,F ). The projective
algebra p(M,F = α + β) of a Randers space is characterized as a certain Lie subalgebra
of the projective algebra p(M,α). Certain subgroups of the projective group P (M,F ) and
their invariants are studied. The projective algebra of Randers metrics of constant flag
curvature is studied and it is proved that the dimension of the projective algebra of Randers
metrics constant flag curvature on a compact n-manifold either equals n(n+ 2) or at most
is n(n+1)2 .
Key words: Randers metric; constant flag curvature; projective vector field; projective al-
gebra
2010 Mathematics Subject Classification: 53C60; 53B50, 58J60
1 Introduction
The motion of freely falling particles define a projective structure on spacetime. Mathematically
speaking, this provides a projective connection or an equivalence class of symmetric affine
connections all possessing the same unparameterized geodesic curves. This may be regarded as
a mathematical formulation of the weak principle of equivalence valid both in the Newtonian
and relativistic theory of spacetime and gravity [11]. Many physical considerations require
metric structures on spacetime in liaison to affine connections. A necessary condition for two
such metric structures to have the same (unparameterized) geodesic curves is that their Weyl
projective tensors are identical.
The locally anisotropic space-times are studied in [24] from a geometrical point of view and
thus may include some auspices on the Weyl projective tensor. As we will see in this paper,
certain subgroups of the Lorentz group may be at once a subgroup of the projective group
of the Finsler metric F =
√
ηµνdxµdxν + Aµdxµ, where η and A denotes the Lorentz metric
and the electromagnetic potential vector of the flat space-time. Some reduced forms of Weyl
projective tensor W have been introduced in [1, 16], which are invariant among projectively
related constant curvature Finsler metrics but not identical among scalar flag curvature metrics.
Any two Finsler metrics possessing the same (unparameterized) geodesics have the same Weyl
projective tensor. Studying Weyl projective vector fields (i.e. those vector fields preserving the
2 M. Rafie-Rad and B. Rezaei
Weyl projective tensor and also the reduced Weyl projective tensors) and projective vector fields
have such a leading role to obtain projective symmetries which provide some conservation laws
in physical terms. On the other hand, there are many papers devoted on projective symmetry
in metric-affine gravity and cosmology, see for example [9, 7].
Randers metrics are the most popular Finsler metrics in differential geometry and physics
simply obtained by a Riemannian metric α =
√
aij(x)yiyj and β = bi(x)yi as F = α + β and
was introduced by G. Randers in [18] in the context of general relativity. They arise naturally
as the geometry of light rays in stationary spacetimes [8]. One may refer to [5, 6, 14, 19]
for an extensive series of results about the Einstein Randers metrics and the Randers metrics
of constant flag curvature. The present paper is closely related to the problem of projective
relatedness of Randers metrics which is investigated in [20]. To avoid the obscurity, given
a Randers metric α + β, the geometric objects in (M,F ) and (M,α) are denoted respectively
by the prifices “F -” and “α-”, respectively, for instance, an F -projective vector field means
a projective vector field on (M,F ), an α-projective vector field means a projective vector field
on (M,α), an α-Killing vector fields stands for a Killing vector field on (M,α), etc. We use
the usual notations for Randers metrics in [6, 20]. Given any vector field V , its complete lift
to TM0 = TM\{0} is denoted by Vˆ and the Lie derivative along Vˆ is denoted by LVˆ . One
can benefit [28] for an extensive discussion on the theory of Lie derivatives of various geometric
objects in Finsler spaces. Traditionally we use the notations for the so-called (α, β)-metric
disposal in [21], thereby si◦ = a
ikskjyj , where skj =
( ∂bk
∂xj −
∂bj
∂xk
)
. We characterize the projective
vector fields on a Randers space by proving the following theorem:
Theorem 1. Let (M,F = α + β) be a Randers space and V be a vector field on M . V is
F -projective if and only if V is α-projective and LVˆ {αs
i
◦} = 0.
Determining the dimension of the projective algebra of constant curvature and Einstein spaces
is of interests in physical and geometrical discussions, see [7] and interested readers may be-
nefit [28] for a large discussion on this field. This leads to calculate number of independent
projective vector fields and is closely related to the number of independent Killing vector fields
in each case. It is well known that in an n-dimensional Riemannian space of constant curvature
the dimension of the projective algebra is n(n + 2) and vice-versa, see [7, 28]. This weaves an
overture for an analogue problem for Randers space (M,F = α+β). If we have sij = 0, then the
respective projective algebras p(M,F ) of F and p(M,α) of α coincide. If moreover, F is locally
projectively flat, then α is too and hence, the dimension of the projective algebra p(M,F ) is
n(n + 2). Notice that our discussions are closely related to the algebra k(M,α) of α-Killing
vector fields. The important case is considerable when sij 6= 0 and uncovers a non-Riemannian
feature of Finsler metrics in comparison with the analogue Riemannian case. We summarize the
argument by establishing the following result:
Theorem 2. Let (M,F ) be an n-dimensional (n ≥ 3) Randers space of constant flag curvature
and M is compact. The dimension of the projective algebra p(M,F ) is either n(n + 2) or at
most equals n(n+1)2 .
The spaces admitting certain vector fields has a long history in Riemannian geometry, see
for example [3, 7, 10, 17, 25, 26, 27]. Existence of some special vector fields on a Riemannian
space may pertain to some global properties of the underlying Riemannian space. We prove the
following result to uncover such an interaction for Randers spaces:
Theorem 3. Let (M,F = α + β) be a Randers space of vanishing S-curvature and dimension
n ≥ 3. If (M,F ) admits a non-α-affine projective vector field V , then (M,F ) is a Berwald
space.
On the Projective Algebra of Randers Metrics of Constant Flag Curvature 3
2 Preliminaries
Let M be a n-dimensional C∞ connected manifold. TxM denotes the tangent space of M
at x. The tangent bundle of M is the union of tangent spaces TM :=
⋃
x∈M TxM . We will
denote the elements of TM by (x, y) where y ∈ TxM . Let TM0 = TM \ {0}. The natural
projection pi : TM0 → M is given by pi(x, y) := x. A Finsler metric on M is a function
F : TM → [0,∞) with the following properties: (i) F is C∞ on TM0, (ii) F is positively
1-homogeneous on the fibers of tangent bundle TM , and (iii) the Hessian of F 2 with elements
gij(x, y) := 12 [F
2(x, y)]yiyj is positive definite matrix on TM0. The pair (M,F ) is then called
a Finsler space. Throughout this paper, we denote a Riemannian metric by α =
√
aij(x)yiyj
and a 1-form by β = bi(x)yi. A globally defined vector field G is induced by F on TM0, which
in a standard coordinate (xi, yi) for TM0 is given by G = yi ∂∂xi − 2G
i(x, y) ∂∂yi , where G
i(x, y)
are local functions on TM0 satisfying Gi(x, λy) = λ2Gi(x, y), λ > 0. Assume the following
conventions:
Gij =
∂Gi
∂yi
, Gijk =
∂Gij
∂yk
, Gijkl =
∂Gijk
∂yl
.
Notice that the local functions Gijk give rise to a torsion-free connection in pi
∗TM called the
Berwald connection which is practical in this paper, see [21]. The local functions Gij define
a nonlinear connection HTM spanned by the horizontal frame { δδxi }, where
δ
δxj =
∂
∂xj −G
i
j
∂
∂yi .
The nonlinear connection HTM splits TTM as TTM = kerpi∗ ⊕ HTM , see [21]. A Finsler
metric is called a Berwald metric if Gijk(x, y) are functions of x only at every point x ∈ M ,
equivalently F is a Berwald metric if and only if Gijkl = 0.
For a Finsler metric F on an n-dimensional manifold M the Busemann–Hausdorff volume
form dVF = σF (x)dx1 · · · dxn is defined by
σF (x) :=
Vol(Bn(1))
Vol{(yi) ∈ Rn | F (yi ∂∂xi |x) < 1}
.
Assume g = det(gij(x, y)) and define τ(x, y) := ln
√g
σF (x)
. τ = τ(x, y) is a scalar function
on TM0, which is called the distortion [21]. For a vector y ∈ TxM , let c(t), − < t < , denote
the geodesic with c(0) = x and c˙(0) = y. The function S(y) := ddt [τ(c˙(t))]|t=0 is called the
S-curvature with respect to Busemann–Hausdorff volume form. A Finsler space is said to be of
isotropic S-curvature if there is a function σ = σ(x) defined on M such that S = (n+ 1)σ(x)F .
It is called a Finsler space of constant S-curvature once σ is a constant. Every Berwald space
is of vanishing S-curvature [21]. The E-curvature of the Finsler space (M,F ) is defined by
Ey = Eij(y)dxi ⊗ dxj , where Eij = 12
∂2S
∂yi∂yj . (M,F ) is called a weakly-Berwald space if E = 0.
It is easy to see that we have Eij = 12G
r
irj .
Let (M,α) be a Riemannian space and β = bi(x)yi be a 1-form defined on M such that
‖β‖x := sup
y∈TxM
β(y)/α(y) < 1. The Finsler metric F = α + β is called a Randers metric on
a manifold M . Denote the geodesic spray coefficients of α and F by the notions Giα and G
i,
respectively and the Levi-Civita connection of α by ∇. Define ∇jbi by (∇jbi)θj := dbi − bjθ
j
i ,
where θi := dxi and θ ji := Γ˜
j
ikdx
k denote the Levi-Civita connection forms and ∇ denotes its
associated covariant derivation of α. Let us put
rij :=
1
2
(∇jbi +∇ibj), sij :=
1
2
(∇jbi −∇ibj),
sij := a
ihshj , sj := bis
i
j , eij := rij + bisj + bjsi.
4 M. Rafie-Rad and B. Rezaei
Then Gi are given by
Gi = Giα +
(e◦◦
2F
− s◦
)
yi + αsi◦,
where e◦◦ := eijyiyj , s◦ := siyi, si◦ := s
i
jy
j and Giα denote the geodesic coefficients of α,
see [21]. Notice that the S-curvature of a Randers metric F = α+ β can be obtained as follows
S = (n+ 1)
{e◦◦
F
− s◦ − ρ◦
}
,
where ρ = ln
√
1− ‖β‖ and ρ◦ =
∂ρ
∂xk y
k. It is well-known that every weakly-Berwald Randers
space is of vanishing S-curvature [21].
Let F be a Finsler metric on an n-manifold and Gi denote the geodesic coefficients of F .
Define Ry = Kik(x, y)dx
k ⊗ ∂∂xi |x : TxM → TxM by
Kik := 2
∂Gi
∂xk
− yj
∂2Gi
∂xj∂yk
+ 2Gj
∂2Gi
∂yj∂yk
−
∂Gi
∂yj
∂Gj
∂yk
.
The family R := {Ry}y∈TM0 is called the Riemann curvature [21]. The Ricci scalar is denoted
by Ric it is defined by Ric := Kkk. The Ricci scalar Ric is a generalization of the Ricci tensor
in Riemannian geometry. A Finsler space (M,F ) is called an Einstein space if there is function σ
defined on M such that Ric = σ(x)F 2. D. Bao and C. Robles proved in [5, 19] the following
theorem:
Theorem 4. Let (M,F = α + β) be an n-dimensional Randers space and n ≥ 3. If (M,F ) is
an Einstein space with Ric = (n − 1)K(x)F 2, then it is of constant S-curvature and K(x) is
constant.
The Berwald–Riemannian curvature tensor Ky = Kijkl(y)
∂
∂xi ⊗ dx
j ⊗ dxk ⊗ dxl and the
Berwald–Ricci tensor Kjl(y)dxj ⊗ dxl are respectively defined by
Kijkl :=
1
3
{
∂2Kik
∂yj∂yl
−
∂2Kil
∂yj∂yk
}
, Kjl := K
i
jil.
Due to a result in [14], every Finsler metric of constant S-curvature on a compact manifold is
of vanishing S-curvature. Therefore, the S-curvature of every Einstein Randers metric on an
n-dimensional (n ≥ 3) compact manifold is vanishing.
Denote the horizontal and vertical covariant derivation of the Berwald connection of F re-
spectively by “|” and “.”. The quit nouvelle non-Riemannian quantity Hy = Hij(y)dx
i ⊗ dxj is
simply defined by Hij = Eij|ky
k, see [2, 13, 15]. Consider the following Bianchi identity for the
Berwald connection [2]:
Gijkl|m −G
i
jkm|l = K
i
jkl.m.
After convecting the indices i and k and taking into account the equation Gijil = 2Ejl, we
obtain Gkjkl|m −G
k
jkm|l = 2(E jl|m −E jm|l) = K jl.m. From which it results
yjK jl.m = 0, y
lK jl.m = −2Hjm. (1)
On the Projective Algebra of Randers Metrics of Constant Flag Curvature 5
3 Projectively related metrics and projectively invariants
Two Finsler metrics F and F˜ on a manifold M are said to be (pointwise) projectively related if
they have the same geodesics as point sets. Hereby, there is a function P (x, y) defined on TM0
such that G˜i = Gi+Pyi on coordinates (xi, yi) on TM0, where G˜i and Gi are the geodesic spray
coefficients of F˜ and F , respectively. A Finsler metric F on an open subset U ⊆ Rn is called
projectively flat if all geodesics are straight in U. In this case, F and the Euclidean metric on U
are projectively related. A Finsler metric is called locally projectively flat if at any point x ∈M ,
there is a local coordinate (xi, U) in which F is projectively flat. We consider projectively
related Finsler metrics, namely those having the same geodesics as set points. Let F˜ and F be
two projectively related Finsler metrics. Consider a natural coordinate system ((xi, yi), pi−1(U)).
There is function P defined on TM0 such that G˜i = Gi+Pyi. Let us put Pi = P.i and Pij = Pi.j .
Observe that we have
G˜ij = G
i
j + Pjy
i + Pδij , G˜
i
jk = G
i
jk + Pjky
i + Pkδ
i
j + Pjδ
i
k, (2)
E˜ij = Eij +
(n+ 1)
2
Pij . (3)
The Berwald–Riemannian curvature and the Berwald–Ricci tensors of F˜ and F are related as
follows
K˜ihjk = K
i
hjk + y
i(Pjh|k − Pkh|j) + δ
i
h(Pj|k − Pk|j)
+ δij(Ph|k − PhPk − PPhk)− δ
i
k(Ph|j − PhPj − PPhj),
K˜ hk = Khk + (Ph|k − Pk|h) + (n− 1)(Ph|k − PhPk − PPhk)− Phk|◦. (4)
Finally we find out that (K˜ hk − K˜ kh).j = (Khk − Kkh).j + (n + 1)(Ph|k − Pk|h).j . The non-
Riemannian quantity H was introduced in [1, 15] and developed in [13]. We would like to
consider projectively related Finsler metrics with the same E- and H-curvatures. Observe that
according to (2) and (3), H-curvatures of F˜ and F are related as follows
H˜ij = yr
δ˜
δ˜xr
E˜ij − E˜rjG˜ri − E˜irG˜
r
j =
(
yr
δ
δxr
− 2Pyr
∂
∂yr
)(
Eij +
(n+ 1)
2
Pij
)
−
(
Erj +
(n+ 1)
2
Prj
)
(Gri + Piy
r + Pδri)−
(
Eir +
(n+ 1)
2
Pir
)
(Grj + Pjy
r + Pδrj)
= Eij|◦ +
(n+ 1)
2
Pij|◦ = Hij +
(n+ 1)
2
Pij|◦, (5)
where δ˜
δ˜xk
= ∂∂xk − 2G˜
i
k
∂
∂yi and
δ
δxk =
∂
∂xk − 2G
i
k
∂
∂yi . From (5) one may conclude the following
lemma.
Lemma 1. Suppose that F˜ and F are projectively related with projective factor P . Then F˜
and F have the same H-curvature if and only if Pij|◦ = 0.
The Finsler metrics F˜ and F are said to be H-projectively related if they are projectively
related and have the same H-curvature. From (3) it results that if given any x ∈ M the
function P (x, y) is linear with respect to y, in other words Pij = 0, then F and F˜ are H-
projectively related. Hereby the Finsler metrics F˜ and F are said to be specially projectively
related if P (x, y) is linear with respect to y.
Example 1. The Funk metric Θ on the Euclidean unit ball Bn(1) is a Randers metric given by
Θ(x, y) :=
√
|y|2 − (|x|2|y|2 − 〈x, y〉2)
1− |x|2
+
〈x, y〉
1− |x|2
, y ∈ TxB
n(1) ' Rn,
6 M. Rafie-Rad and B. Rezaei
where 〈, 〉 and |.| denotes the Euclidean inner product and norm on Rn, respectively. Given
any constant vector a ∈ Rn, the generalized Funk metric Θa is given by Θa := Θ + dϕa, where
ϕa = ln(1 + 〈a, x〉) + C and C is a constant. From the variational point of view this changes
the length function by something which depends only on the end-points, not the path between
them. One may also refer to [21] to find an analytic proof. Θ and Θa are both projectively
flat, H-projectively related of constant S-curvature with σ = 12 . It not hard to see that the
projective factor P is P = −12dϕa.
Example 2. Given any vector a ∈ Rn, define the Finsler metric F on Bn(1) by
F := (1 + 〈a, x〉)
(
Θ + Θxkx
k).
F is projectively flat with projective factor P = Θ and F is of constant flag curvature K = 0.
Thus F and the Euclidean metric on Bn(1) have the same vanishing H-curvature and are H-
projectively related. This example is borrowed from [22].
3.1 Projectively invariants
Any geometric object which is identical between two projectively related metrics is called
a projective invariant. There are many projectively invariant tensors in Finsler geometry
such as the Douglas tensor Dy = Dijkl(y)
∂
∂xi ⊗ dx
j ⊗ dxk ⊗ dxl and Weyl curvature Wy =
W ijkl(y)
∂
∂xi ⊗ dx
j ⊗ dxk ⊗ dxl. However, the notion of the projective connection in Finsler
geometry encounters some difficulties to be globally projectively invariant. The tensors D and
W are defined as follows
Dijkl =
∂3
∂yj∂yk∂yl
{
Gi −
1
n+ 1
Gmmy
i
}
,
W ijkl = K
i
jkl −
1
n2 − 1
{
δij(Kˆkl − Kˆlk) + (δ
i
kKˆjl − δ
i
lKˆjk) + y
i(Kˆkl − Kˆlk).j
}
,
where Kˆjk = nKjk + Kkj + yrKkr.j . In 1986, H. Akbar-Zadeh introduced a tensor which is
just invariant by a sub-group of projective transformations, not all of them [2]. In fact, this is
a non-Riemannian generalization of Weyl’s curvature. It is denoted by
∗
W ijkl and is defined by
∗
W ijkl = K
i
jkl −
1
n2 − 1
{
δik(nKjl +Klj)− δ
i
l(nKjk +Kkj) + (n− 1)δ
i
j(Kkl −Klk)
}
.
Assume that W ik = y
jylW ijkl. From (1) W can be written in terms of H-curvature by the
following equation
W ijkl =
∗
W ijkl −
2
n2 − 1
{
δilHjk − δ
i
kHjl
}
−
yi
n+ 1
(Kkl −Klk).j . (6)
One may easily check from (4) and (5) that every two specially projectively related metrics F˜
and F have the same tensors W , H and (Khk −Kkh).j . Observe that from (6) it results that
they have the same tensor
∗
W . There is the following identity for W given in [1, 21]:
W ijkl =
1
3
{
W ik.l.j −W
i
l.k.j
}
. (7)
Theorem 5. Let (M,F ) be an n-dimensional Finsler manifold (n ≥ 3). W = 0 if and only
if F is of scalar flag curvature.
On the Projective Algebra of Randers Metrics of Constant Flag Curvature 7
Let
∗
W ik = y
jyl
∗
W ijkl. The following theorem is proved in [1], however, we give a modified
proof for it.
Theorem 6. Let (M,F ) be an n-dimensional Finsler manifold (n ≥ 3).
∗
W = 0 if and only if F
is of constant flag curvature.
Proof. From (7), (6) and ylHjl = 0, it follows that we have W ik =
∗
W ik and
W ijkl =
1
3
{ ∗
W ik.l.j −
∗
W il.k.j
}
.
Now let
∗
W = 0. It follows immediately that W = 0 and from Theorem B. that (M,F ) is of
scalar curvature. But, from (6) it results
2
n2 − 1
{
δilHjk − δ
i
kHjl
}
+
yi
n+ 1
(Kkl −Klk).j = 0.
Convecting the index k in yk and applying (1) yields
−
2
n2 − 1
yiHjl +
2
n+ 1
yiHjl =
2(n− 2)
n2 − 1
yiHjl = 0,
and finally Hjl = 0, since n ≥ 3. Now, it results that (M,F ) is of constant flag curvature, since
H = 0. Conversely, suppose that (M,F ) is of constant flag curvature. Then, H = 0, Kkl = Klk
and from (6) it follows that
∗
W = W = 0, since (M,F ) is of constant (scalar) flag curvature. 
Remark 1. Projectively related Finsler metrics certainly have the same Weyl and Douglas
curvatures. In [20], the authors studied projectively related Randers metrics. Their discussion
is closely related to the subject of the present paper.
4 Projective vector fields on Randers spaces
Every vector field V on M induces naturally a transformation under the following infinitesimal
coordinate transformations on TM , (xi, yi) −→ (x¯i, y¯i) given by
x¯i = xi + V idt, y¯i = yi + yk
∂V i
∂xk
dt.
This leads to the notion of the complete lift Vˆ (or traditionally denoted by V C , see [28]) of V
to a vector field on TM0 given by
Vˆ = V i
∂
∂xi
+ yk
∂V i
∂xk
∂
∂yi
.
Since almost every geometric object in Finsler geometry depend on the both points and velocities,
the Lie derivatives of such geometric objects should be regarded with respect to Vˆ . One may
get familiar to the theory of Lie derivatives in Finsler geometry in [28]. It is a notable remark
in the Lie derivative computations that LVˆ y
i = 0 and the differential operators LVˆ ,
∂
∂xi and
∂
∂yi
commute.
A smooth vector field V on (M,F ) is called projective if each local flow diffeomorphism
associated with V maps geodesics onto geodesics. If V is projective and each such map preserves
affine parameters, then V is called affine, otherwise it is said to be proper projective. The
collection of all projective vector fields on M is a finite-dimensional Lie algebra, with respect
8 M. Rafie-Rad and B. Rezaei
to the usual Lie bracket operation on vector fields, called the projective algebra, and is denoted
by p(M,F ). It is easy to prove that a vector field V on the Finsler space (M,F ) is a projective
if and only if there is a function P defined on TM0 such that
LVˆG
i = Pyi, (8)
and V is affine if and only if P = 0. Whence F is Riemannian, the equation (8) is just
LVˆ Γ
i
jk = ωjδ
i
k + ωkδ
i
j , where ωj are the components of a globally defined 1-form on M and
thus, P (x, y) = ωi(x)yi.
Proof of Theorem 1. Suppose that V is F -projective. Hence it preserves the Douglas tensor,
i.e. LVˆD
i
jkl = 0. Let us put T
i = αsi◦. The sprays G
i of F and Ĝi = Giα + T
i are projectively
related and thus they have the same Douglas tensor, hence
Dijkl = D̂
i
jkl =
∂3
∂yj∂yk∂yl
{
T i −
1
n+ 1
Tmymy
i
}
.
A simple calculation shows that Tmm = 0. From that we have
LVˆD
i
jkl = LVˆ T
i
.j.k.l = LVˆ {αs
i
◦}.j.k.l = 0.
Therefore, there are functions H i(x, y), (i = 1, 2, . . . , n) quadratic in y such that
LVˆ {αs
i
◦} = H
i. (9)
Let us put tij = LVˆ aij . Observe that LVˆ {αs
i
◦} =
t◦◦
2α s
i
◦ + αLVˆ s
i
◦. Now the equation (9) can
be re-written as follows:
t◦◦s
i
◦ + 2α
2LVˆ s
i
◦ = αH
i. (10)
Here we emphasis that α2 = aij(x)yiyj , t◦◦si◦ = (tij(x)s
i
k(x))y
iykyk and LVˆ s
i
◦ = (LV s
i
k)(x)y
k
are polynomials in y1, y2, . . . , yn. Hence the left hand of (10) is a polynomial in y1, y2, . . . , yn
for every i, while the right hand is not. It follows immediately that H i = 0 for every index i
and (9) reads as LVˆ {αs
i
◦} = 0. Recall that the geodesic coefficients of F are of the following
form:
Gi = Giα +
(e◦◦
2F
− s◦
)
yi + αsi◦. (11)
From LVˆ {αs
i
◦} = 0 and LVˆG
i = Pyi it results now, that we have
LVˆG
i = LVˆ
{
Giα +
(e◦◦
2F
− s◦
)
yi
}
= Pyi,
and finally we obtain
LVˆG
i
α =
{
P − LVˆ
(e◦◦
2F
− s◦
)}
yi,
which shows that V is a α-projective vector field. Conversely suppose that V is α-projective
(i.e. LVˆG
i
α = ω◦y
i, for some 1-forms ω◦ = ωk(x)yk on M) and LVˆ {αs
i
◦} = 0. From (11) it
follows
LVˆG
i = LVˆ
{
Giα +
(e◦◦
2F
− s◦
)
yi + αsi0
}
= LVˆG
i
α + LVˆ
(e◦◦
2F
− s◦
)
yi
=
{
ω◦ + LVˆ
(e◦◦
2F
− s◦
)}
yi,
which proves that V is a F -projective vector field. 
On the Projective Algebra of Randers Metrics of Constant Flag Curvature 9
Let us prove initially the following lemma:
Lemma 2. Let (M,F = α + β) be an n-dimensional Randers space. If si j 6= 0, then V is F-
projective vector field if and only if it is a α-homothety and LVˆ dβ = µdβ, where LVˆ aij = 2µaij.
Proof. Suppose that si◦ 6= 0. By Theorem 1, V is F -projective if and only if it is α-projective
and LVˆ {αs
i
◦} = 0. Let us suppose tij = LVˆ aij and observe that LVˆ {αs
i
◦} = 0 is equivalent to
t◦◦s
i
◦ + 2α
2LVˆ s
i
◦ = 0. (12)
It follows that α2 divides t◦◦si◦ for every index i. This equivalent to that s
i
j = 0 or α
2 divides
t◦◦ which means that V is a conformal vector field on (M,α), since sij 6= 0. Since V is already α-
projective, it follows that V is an α-homothety and there is a constant µ such that LV aij = 2µaij .
From (12) we obtain LV sij = −µs
i
j . Now observe that
LV sij = LV {aiks
k
j} = (LV aik)s
k
j + aikLV s
k
j = 2µaiks
k
j − µaiks
k
j = µsij . 
Proof of Theorem 2. Let us suppose that M is compact and F = α+ β is a Randers metric
of constant flag curvature and n ≥ 3. Following [5], F is of constant S-curvature and due to
a result about constant S-curvature Finsler spaces in [14], it follows that S = 0. This results
e◦◦ = r◦◦ + 2βs◦ = 0. Now let us suppose that sij 6= 0. By Lemma 2, every F -projective vector
field V is an α-homothety and since M is compact, thus every F -projective vector field V is
α-Killing. Hence in this case we have the inclusion p(M,F ) ⊆ k(M,α), where k(M,α) denotes
the Lie algebra of α-Killing vector fields. It is well-known that the dimension of algebra of
α-Killing vector fields is at most n(n+1)2 . Therefore dim(p(M,F )) ≤
n(n+1)
2 . Now let us suppose
that sij = 0. In this case we have p(M,F ) = p(M,α) and moreover one conclude that ∇jbi = 0
and F is a Berwald metric. Since F is of constant flag curvature, thus F and α are metrics of
zero flag curvatures. Notice that F is of constant flag curvature, its Weyl curvature vanishes
and since sij = 0, thus F and α are projectively related and hence α has vanishing Weyl
curvature and by Beltrami’s theorem, α has constant sectional curvature. It is well-known that
the dimension of p(M,α) is n(n+ 2). Hence we have dim(p(M,F )) = n(n+ 2). 
The following inclusive result follows from the proof of Theorem 2.
Corollary 1. Let (M,F = α+ β) be a Randers space of constant flag curvature. The following
statements hold:
(a) if β is closed, then p(M,F ) = p(M,α);
(b) if β is not a closed 1-form, then p(M,F ) ⊆ h(M,α), where h(M,α) denotes the Lie algebra
of α-homothety vector fields.
Proof of Theorem 3. To obtain general formulae, let us assume that (M,F = α + β) be
a Randers space of isotropic S-curvature S = (n + 1)σ(x)F and V be a non-affine projective
vector field. Following a result in [23], it results that e◦◦ = 2σ(x)(α2 − β2). Suppose that there
is a function Ψ such that Ψ(x, y) is linear with respect to y such that LVˆG
i = Ψyi. By applying
Theorem 1, we have
LVˆG
i = LVˆ G˜
i + LVˆ (σ(α− β)y
i)− LVˆ s◦y
i = Ψyi.
Put tij = LVˆ aij . It is well-known that LVˆ y
i = 0, it follows t◦◦ = LVˆ α
2 and
LVˆ G˜
i + αLVˆ σy
i − βLVˆ σy
i +
t◦◦
2α
cyi − σyiLVˆ β − LVˆ s◦y
i = Ψyi.
10 M. Rafie-Rad and B. Rezaei
Given any natural coordinate system ((xi, yi), pi−1(U)) and x ∈ U , we can regard each terms
of the above equation as a polynomial in y1, y2, . . . , yn. Multiplying the two sides of the last
equation in α, we obtain the following relation:
Rati + α Irrati = 0, i = 1, 2, . . . , n,
where the polynomials Rati and Irrati are given by
Rati = α2LVˆ σy
i +
1
2
t◦◦σy
i,
Irrati = LVˆ G˜
i − (βLVˆ σ + σLVˆ β + LVˆ s◦ + Ψ)y
i.
Now let us assume S = (n + 1)σ(x)F = 0. By Lemma 2, (M,F ) must be locally projectively
flat, otherwise V is a α-homothety which is a contradiction to the assumption that V is non-α-
homothety. Hence sij = 0 and by eij = rij + bisj + bjsi = rij = 0. This is equivalent to ∇ibj = 0
and (M,F ) is a Berwald space. 
By Theorem 2, the following theorems results
Theorem 7. Let (M,F = α+β) be a compact n-Randers space of constant flag curvature. The
following statements hold:
(a) if dim(p(M,F )) = n(n+1)2 , then α is of constant sectional curvature;
(b) if dim(p(M,F )) > n(n+1)2 , then F is a locally Minkowski metric.
Proof. Let us suppose dim(p(M,F )) = n(n+1)2 . Due to the discussions in the proof of Theo-
rem 2, in this case we have p(M,F ) ⊆ k(M,α) and thus,
n(n+ 1)
2
= dim(p(M,F )) ≤ dim(k(M,α)).
Hence (M,α) is of maximum rank n(n+1)2 and it is well-known that in this case α is of constant
sectional curvature. This proves (a). To prove (b), we notice that if dim(p(M,F )) > n(n+1)2 ,
then we must have sij = 0, Otherwise, by proof of Theorem 2, we have dim(p(M,F )) ≤
n(n+1)
2 .
Now, sij = 0 and S = 0 results that F is a Berwald metric which is already of constant flag
curvature. F is not Riemannian and Numata’s theorem ensures that K = 0. Finally, Akbar-
Zadeh’s classification theorem entails F is a locally Minkowski metric. 
Example 3. In [6], the authors presented a worthily source of a 1-parameter family of Randers
metric Fκ = ακ + βκ on the Lie group S3 which all are of constant positive flag curvature κ.
Due to their construction, non of the Riemannian metrics ακ is of constant sectional curvature
and hence, by Theorem 7, it follows that dim
(
p(S3, Fκ)
)
< 6.
5 The Lorentz nonlinear connection
and Randers projective symmetry
The stage on which special relativity is played out is a specific four dimensional manifold,
known as Minkowski spacetime. The xµ, µ = 0, 1, 2, 3, are coordinates on this manifold and
conventionally, we set x0 = t. The elements of spacetime are known as events; an event is
specified by giving its location in both space and time. The infinitesimal (distance) between
two points known as the spacetime interval is defined by
ds2 = ηµνdx
µdxν = −dt2 + dx2 + dy2 + dz2.
On the Projective Algebra of Randers Metrics of Constant Flag Curvature 11
The matrices Λ satisfying ΛT ηΛ = η are known as the Lorentz transformations. As a notable
well-known case, consider the celebrated Randers metric of the form F =
√
ηµνdxµdxν +Aidxi
on the 4-manifold of spacetime, where A is the electromagnetic vectorial potential and F = dA
obtained in the Cartesian coordinates (t, x, y, z) as
Fµν =




0 −Ex −Ey Ez
Ex 0 Bz −By
Ey −Bz 0 Bx
Ez By −Bx 0



 .
Notice that F = 0 if and only if F is locally projectively flat. Hence, the presence of a proper
electromagnetic field, entails non-locally projectively flatness of F . Consider a Lorentz transfor-
mation Λ which maps the coordinates (t, x, y, z) onto (t¯, x¯, y¯, z¯). Λ changes F =
√
ηµνdxµdxν +
Aidxi to F¯ =
√
ηµνdxµdxν + A¯idxi. Following an extensive discussion on projectively related
Randers metrics in [20], we conclude that the Lorentz transformation Λ is F -projective if and
only if ΛTFΛ = F. The collection of all such Lorentz transformation forms a subgroup of the
Lorentz group which is at once a subgroup of projective group P (M,F ). Theory of Finsler
spaces with (α, β)-metrics was studied by such famous geometers as M. Matsumoto, D. Bao
and many others as a natural extension of the theory of Randers spaces. Associated to any
(α, β)-metric F = F (α, β) one may consider a nonlinear connection called Lorentz connection
which has physical applications in the study of gravitational and electromagnetic fields [12].
In this section, we uncover some results about its projective symmetry in a Finsler space with
a Randers metric.
Let F = F (α, β) be an (α, β)-metric on the manifold M . Through a variational approach,
Lorentz equations are derived using Euler–Lagrange equations in the following form:
d2xi
ds2
+ Γijk
dxj
ds
dxk
ds
+ σ
(
x,
dx
ds
)
sij
dxj
ds
= 0,
where ds2 = α2(x, dxdt )dt
2 and σ = αF 2β/F
2
α. The Lorentz nonlinear connection
◦
Gij is now
defined by
◦
Gij(x, y) = Γ
i
jk(x)y
k + σ(x, y)sij .
Every geometric object associated to the Lorentz connection will be denoted by the sign “◦” on
top. Notice that the Lorentz nonlinear connection is determined by the Finsler–Lagrange metric
F = F (α, β) only. Notice that the autoparallel curves of the nonlinear connection
◦
Gij , in the
natural parameterizations (i.e. α(x, dxds ) = 1), coincide with the integral curves of the canonical
semispray S given by
S = yi
∂
∂xi
− 2
◦
Gi
∂
∂yi
, where 2
◦
Gi = Γijky
jyk + αsi◦.
Akbar-Zadeh in [4] considers the Berwald connection of the semispray
◦
Gi to obtain a covariant
derivative and derived a unified formulation for electromagnetism and gravity. However, it
encounters physical consistency: all the formulation require being invariant under the Lorentz
group in flat space-time. This is not satisfied generally. It can be shown that the only Lorentz
transformation which preserve the spray
◦
Gi are those satisfying ΛTFΛ = F.
12 M. Rafie-Rad and B. Rezaei
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to express their grateful thanks to the referees for their valuable com-
ments. This work was supported in part by the Institute for Research in Fundamental Sciences
(IPM) by the grant No. 89530036. The first author wishes to thank Borzoo Nazari for many
fruitful conversations.
References
[1] Akbar-Zadeh H., Champs de vecteurs projectifs sur le fibre´ unitaire, J. Math. Pures Appl. (9) 65 (1986),
47–79.
[2] Akbar-Zadeh H., Sur les espaces de Finsler a` courbures sectionelles constantes, Acad. Roy. Belg. Bull. Cl.
Sci. (5) 74 (1988), no. 10, 281–322.
[3] Akbar-Zadeh H., Espaces a` tenseurs de Ricci paralle`le admettant des transformations projectives, Rend.
Mat. (6) 11 (1978), 85–96.
[4] Akbar-Zadeh H., Generalized Einstein manifolds, J. Geom. Phys. 17 (1995), 342–380.
[5] Bao D., Robles C., On Randers metrics of constant curvature, Rep. Math. Phys. 51 (2003), 9–42.
[6] Bao D., Shen Z., Finsler metrics of constant positive curvature on the Lie group S3, J. Lond. Math. Soc. 66
(2002), 453–467.
[7] Barnes A., Projective collineations in Einstein spaces, Classical Quantum Gravity 10 (1993), 1139–1145.
[8] Gibbons G.W., Herdeiro C.A.R., Warnick C.M., Werner M.C., Stationary metrics and optical Zermelo–
Randers–Finsler geometry, Phys. Rev. D 79 (2009), 044022, 21 pages, arXiv:0811.2877.
[9] Hall G.S., Lonie D.P., The principle of equivalence and cosmological metrics, J. Math. Phys. 49 (2008),
022502, 13 pages.
[10] Hiramato H., Riemannian manifolds admitting a projective vector field, Kodai Math. J. 3 (1980), 397–406.
[11] Israel I., Relativity, astrophysics and cosmology, Dordrecht, Boston, 1973.
[12] Miron R., Finsler–Lagrange spaces with (α, β)-metrics and Ingarden spaces, Rep. Math. Phys. 58 (2006),
417–431.
[13] Mo X., On the non-Riemannian quantity H of a Finsler metric, Differential. Geom. Appl. 27 (2009), 7–14.
[14] Mo X., A global classification result for Randers metrics of scalar curvature on closed manifolds, Nonlinear
Anal. 69 (2008), 2996–3004.
[15] Najafi B., Shen Z., Tayebi A., Finsler metrics of scalar flag curvature with special non-Riemannian curvature
properties, Geom. Dedicata 131 (2008), 87–97.
[16] Najafi B., Tayebi A., A new quantity in Finsler geometry, C. R. Math. Acad. Sci. Paris 349 (2011), 81–83.
[17] Obata M., Certain conditions for a Riemannian manifold to be isometric with a sphere, J. Math. Soc. Japan.
14 (1962), 333–340.
[18] Randers G., On an asymmetric metric in the four-space of general relativity, Phys. Rev. 59 (1941), 195-199.
[19] Robles C., Einstein metrics of Randers type, Ph.D. thesis, University of British Columbia, Canada, 2003.
[20] Shen Y., Yu Y., On projectively related Randers metric, Internat. J. Math. 19 (2008), 503–520.
[21] Shen Z., Differential geometry of spray and Finsler spaces, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, 2001.
[22] Shen Z., Projectively flat Finsler metrics of constant flag curvature, Trans. Amer. Math. Soc. 355 (2002),
1713–1728.
[23] Shen Z.M., Xing H., On Randers metrics of isotropic S-curvature, Acta Math. Sin. (Engl. Ser.) 24 (2008),
789–796.
[24] Stavrinos P.C., Gravitational and cosmological considerations based on the Finsler and Lagrange metric
structures, Nonlinear Anal. 71 (2009), e1380–e1392.
[25] Tanno S., Some differential equations on Riemannian manifolds, J. Math. Soc. Japan 30 (1978), 509–531.
[26] Tashiro Y., Complete Riemannian manifolds and some vector fields, Trans. Amer. Math. Soc. 117 (1965),
251–275.
[27] Yamauchi K., On infinitesimal projective transformations of a Riemannian manifold with constant scalar
curvature, Hokkaido. Math. J. 8 (1979), 167–175.
[28] Yano K., The theory of Lie derivatives and its applications, North Holland, Amsterdam, 1957.