Paper 4, Section II, E
(a) In the Newtonian weak-field limit, we can write the spacetime metric in the form
where and the potential , as well as the velocity of particles moving in the gravitational field are assumed to be small, i.e.,
Use the geodesic equation for this metric to derive the equation of motion for a massive point particle in the Newtonian limit.
(b) The far-field limit of the Schwarzschild metric is a special case of (*) given, in spherical coordinates, by
where now . For the following questions, state your results to first order in , i.e. neglecting terms of .
(i) Let . Calculate the proper length along the radial curve from to at fixed .
(ii) Consider a massless particle moving radially from to . According to an observer at rest at , what time elapses during this motion?
(iii) The effective velocity of the particle as seen by the observer at is defined as . Evaluate and then take the limit of this result as . Briefly discuss the value of in this limit.