Covariant Derivatives of Mutivector and Extensor Fields

Abstract

We give in this paper which is the fifth in a series of eight a theory of covariant derivatives of multivector and extensor fields based on the geometric calculus of an arbitrary smooth manifold M, and the notion of a connection extensor field defining a parallelism structure on M. Also we give a novel and intrinsic presentation (i.e., one that does not depend on a chosen orthonormal moving frame) of the torsion and curvature fields of Cartan's theory. Two kinds of Cartan's connection fields are identified, and both appear in the intrinsic Cartan's structure equations satisfied by the Cartan's torsion and curvature extensor fields.