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Near-Horizon Conformal Symmetry and Black Hole Entropy

S. Carlip
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Abstract

Near an event horizon, the action of general relativity acquires a new asymptotic conformal symmetry. Using two-dimensional dilaton gravity as a test case, I show that this symmetry results in a chiral Virasoro algebra with a calculable classical central charge, and that Cardy's formula for the density of states reproduces the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy. This result lends support to the notion that the universal nature of black hole entropy is controlled by conformal symmetry near the horizon.

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S. Carlip. 2002-03-01. Near-Horizon Conformal Symmetry and Black Hole Entropy. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.88.241301

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