Geodesic map

In mathematics—specifically, in differential geometry—a geodesic map (or geodesic mapping or geodesic diffeomorphism) is a
function that "preserves geodesics". More precisely, given two (pseudo-)Riemannian manifolds (M, g) and (N, h), a function
φ : M → N is said to be a geodesic map if

φ is a diffeomorphism of M onto N; and

the image under φ of any geodesic arc inM is a geodesic arc in N; and
the image under the inverse function φ−1 of any geodesic arc inN is a geodesic arc in M.

Examples
If (M, g) and (N, h) are both the n-dimensional Euclidean space En with its usual flat metric, then any Euclidean
isometry is a geodesic map of En onto itself.
Similarly, if (M, g) and (N, h) are both the n-dimensional unit sphere Sn with its usual round metric, then any isometry
of the sphere is a geodesic map ofSn onto itself.
If (M, g) is the unit sphere Sn with its usual round metric and N
( , h) is the sphere of radius 2 with its usual round
metric, both thought of as subsets of the ambient coordinate spaceRn+1, then the "expansion" mapφ : Rn+1 → Rn+1
given by φ(x) = 2x induces a geodesic map ofM onto N.
There is no geodesic map from the Euclidean spaceEn onto the unit sphere Sn, since they are not homeomorphic,
let alone diffeomorphic.
The gnomonic projection of the hemisphere to the plane is a geodesic map as it takes great circles to lines and its
inverse takes lines to great circles.
Let (D, g) be the unit disc D ⊂ R2 equipped with the Euclidean metric, and let D,
( h) be the same disc equipped with
a hyperbolic metric as in the Poincaré disc model of hyperbolic geometry. Then, although the two structures are
diffeomorphic via the identity map i : D → D, i is not a geodesic map, sinceg-geodesics are always straight lines in
R2, whereas h-geodesics can be curved.
On the other hand, when the hyperbolic metric onD is given by the Klein model, the identity i : D → D is a geodesic
map, because hyperbolic geodesics in the Klein model are (Euclidean) straight line segments.

References
Ambartzumian, R. V. (1982). Combinatorial integral geometry. Wiley Series in Probability and Mathematical
Statistics: Tracts on Probability and Statistics. New York: John Wiley & Sons Inc. pp. xvii+221.ISBN 0-471-27977-3.
MR 0679133.
Kreyszig, Erwin (1991).Differential geometry. New York: Dover Publications Inc. pp. xiv+352. ISBN 0-486-66721-9.
MR 1118149.

External links
Weisstein, Eric W. "Geodesic mapping". MathWorld.

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