The rolling tangent space, a forgotten vision on geodesics and parallel transport?

Given a submanifold $M\subset \mathbf{R}^ν$, a curve $γ:I\to M$ and tangent vectors $v$ along $γ$, we roll the tangent space along $γ$. In doing so, we get an imprint of $γ$ on the tangent space, as well as an imprint of tangent vectors. We show that $γ$ is a geodesic on $M$ if and only if this trace/imprint on the (affine) tangent space is a straight line and that $v$ is a set of parallel vectors if and only if their imprint on the tangent space is constant. In other words, in the view of the imprint on the rolling tangent space, a geodesic is a straight line, parallel transport is indeed that: parallel transport, and the covariant derivative becomes the ordinary derivative.

Publication Details

Journal
ArXiv.org
Published
2025-10-11
Primary Topic
Geometric Analysis and Curvature Flows
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

The rolling tangent space, a forgotten vision on geodesics and parallel transport?

ArXiv.org
Geometric Analysis and Curvature Flows
article

The rolling tangent space, a forgotten vision on geodesics and parallel transport?

article en

Abstract

Given a submanifold $M\subset \mathbf{R}^ν$, a curve $γ:I\to M$ and tangent vectors $v$ along $γ$, we roll the tangent space along $γ$. In doing so, we get an imprint of $γ$ on the tangent space, as well as an imprint of tangent vectors. We show that $γ$ is a geodesic on $M$ if and only if this trace/imprint on the (affine) tangent space is a straight line and that $v$ is a set of parallel vectors if and only if their imprint on the tangent space is constant. In other words, in the view of the imprint on the rolling tangent space, a geodesic is a straight line, parallel transport is indeed that: parallel transport, and the covariant derivative becomes the ordinary derivative.

ArXiv.org
Openalex Percentile: Top 35%
Geometric Analysis and Curvature Flows
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.

The rolling tangent space, a forgotten vision on geodesics and parallel transport? · ArXiv.org (2025) | TGRS Research Map | TGRS