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Second covariant derivatives generally are not independent of order, and their commutated value depends linearly on the original tensor, and the coefficients form a matrix-valued 2-form called the Riemann-Christoffel tensor. Its "official" definition is:
A[j][/k][/L] - A[j][/L][/k] = A[m] g'[m][i] R[i][j][k][L] R[i][j][k][L] = C[j][L][i][!k] + C[j][k][m] g'[m][n] C[i][L][n] - C[j][k][i][!L] - C[j][L][m] g'[m][n] C[i][k][n]
Let's see if we can get this by formally differentiating the Christoffel symbols as if they were a tensor. It will be seen later that the Christoffel symbols as a matrix-valued 1-form can be uniquely segregated into the sum of a tensor and a maximally non-tensor part, and justification will be given for relegating the latter to oblivion.
Lemma 1: Expansion of g[i][k][!j].
C[i][j][k] = 1/2 (g[i][k][!j] + g[j][k][!i] - g[i][j][!k]) C[k][j][i] = 1/2 (g[k][i][!j] + g[j][i][!k] - g[k][j][!i]) Sum: = g[i][k][!j]
Lemma 2: To calculate g'[m][j][!k], from the metric inverse:
g[i][m] g'[m][j] = (i==j) g[i][m][k!] g'[m][j] + g[i][m] g'[m][j][!k] = 0 g'[m][j][!k] = - g'[m][n] g[n][p][!k] g'[p][j] (m->p in the last sum) = - g'[m][n] C[n][k][p] g'[p][j] - g'[m][n] C[p][k][n] g'[p][j]
Now let's compute the commutated second covariant derivative of a 1-form:
A[i][/j] = A[i][!j] - A[m] g'[m][n] C[i][j][n] (first deriv.) A[i][/j][/k] - A[i][/k][/j] = (. = cancels) A[i][!j][!k]. - A[m][!k] g'[m][n] C[i][j][n]. - A[m] g'[m][n][!k] C[i][j][n] - A[m] g'[m][n] C[i][j][n][!k] - A[m][!j] g'[m][n] C[i][k][n]. + A[m] g'[m][n] C[p][j][n] g'[p][q] C[i][k][q] - A[i][!m] g'[m][n] C[j][k][n]. + A[m] g'[m][n] C[i][p][n] g'[p][q] C[j][k][q]. -A[i][!k][!j].+ A[m][!j] g'[m][n] C[i][k][n]. + A[m] g'[m][n][!j] C[i][j][n] + A[m] g'[m][n] C[i][k][n][!j] + A[m][!k] g'[m][n] C[i][j][n]. - A[m] g'[m][n] C[p][k][n] g'[p][q] C[i][j][q] + A[i][!m] g'[m][n] C[k][j][n]. - A[m] g'[m][n] C[i][p][n] g'[p][q] C[k][j][q]. = A[m] g'[m][n] (- C[i][j][n][!k] + C[i][k][n][!j] + C[p][j][n] g'[p][q] C[i][k][q] - C[p][k][n] g'[p][q] C[i][j][q] + g[n][p][k!] g'[p][q] C[i][j][q] - g[n][p][j!] g'[p][q] C[i][j][q])
Using the lemma the g[n][p][k!] term combines with -C[p][k][n] giving C[n][k][p] and similarly for j!.
= A[m] g'[m][n] (- C[i][j][n][!k] + C[i][k][n][!j] + C[n][k][p] g'[p][q] C[i][j][q] - C[n][j][p] g'[p][q] C[i][k][q]) = - A[m] g'[m][n] R[n][i][k][j]
(meeting up with the standard definition of R, the Riemann-Christoffel tensor.) Now collect terms, remembering that g[m][n][/k] = 0:
g'[m][n] R[n][i][k][j] = + g'[m][n][!k] C[i][j][n] + g'[m][n] C[i][j][n][!k] - g'[m][n] C[p][j][n] g'[p][q] C[i][k][q] - g'[m][n][!j] C[i][j][n] - g'[m][n] C[i][k][n][!j] + g'[m][n] C[p][k][n] g'[p][q] C[i][j][q] = (g'[m][n] C[i][j][n])[/k] - (g'[m][n] C[i][k][n])[/j]
Get rid of the contraction with g'[m][n] leaving just the Riemann-Christoffel tensor:
R[L][i][k][j] = C[i][j][L][/k] - C[i][k][L][/j] R[i][j][k][L] = C[j][L][i][/k] - C[j][k][i][/L] (L->i, i->j, k->k, j->L)
(It being understood that C does not transform as a tensor.) It's a curious fact that in 2 or 3 dimensions the covariant corrections all cancel out, but it's not likely so convenient in higher dimensions.
Now let's substitute the definition of C[...] in terms of the distance function:
R[i][j][k][L] = 0.5(r2[2/j][1/i][2/L][/k] - r2[2/j][1/i][2/k][/L])
(Expand [/k] as [1/k] + [2/k] since x2 == x1:)
R[i][j][k][L] = 0.5(r2[2/j][1/i][2/L][1/k] + r2[2/j][1/i][2/L][2/k] - r2[2/j][1/i][2/k][1/L] - r2[2/j][1/i][2/k][2/L]) = 0.5(r2[2/j][1/i][2/L][1/k] - r2[2/j][1/i][2/k][1/L]) = g(x2,x1)[j][i][2/L][1/k] - g(x2,x1)[j][i][2/k][1/L]
(with the restriction that x2 == x1.)
Some important coordinate-related symmetries can be seen from the expression involving 0.5 r2:
R[i][j][k][L] = -R[j][i][k][L] = -R[i][j][L][k] = R[k][L][i][j]
since r2[2/i] = -r2[1/i] if x2 == x1.
In terms of the exterior derivative,
R[i][j][k][L] = C[j][L][i][/k] - C[j][k][i][/L] (L->i, i->j, k->k, j->L) R[i][j] = dC[j]..[i]
where C[j]..[i] means the matrix-valued 1-form C[j][m][i] dx[m]. After differentiation and subtraction it is seen that the value is a matrix-valued 2-form.
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