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arXiv · 0808.2068

Explicit form of the Mann-Marolf surface term in (3+1) dimensions

Matt Visser
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Abstract

The Mann-Marolf surface term is a specific candidate for the "reference background term" that is to be subtracted from the Gibbons-Hawking surface term in order make the total gravitational action of asymptotically flat spacetimes finite. That is, the total gravitational action is taken to be: (Einstein-Hilbert bulk term) + (Gibbons-Hawking surface term) - (Mann-Marolf surface term). As presented by Mann and Marolf, their surface term is specified implicitly in terms of the Ricci tensor of the boundary. Herein I demonstrate that for the physically interesting case of a (3+1) dimensional bulk spacetime, the Mann-Marolf surface term can be specified explicitly in terms of the Einstein tensor of the (2+1) dimensional boundary.

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Matt Visser. 2009-01-08. Explicit form of the Mann-Marolf surface term in (3+1) dimensions. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevd.79.024023

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