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arXiv · hep-th/9812013

Black Hole Entropy from Conformal Field Theory in Any Dimension

S. Carlip
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Abstract

Restricted to a black hole horizon, the ``gauge'' algebra of surface deformations in general relativity contains a Virasoro subalgebra with a calculable central charge. The fields in any quantum theory of gravity must transform accordingly, i.e., they must admit a conformal field theory description. Applying Cardy's formula for the asymptotic density of states, I use this result to derive the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy. This method is universal---it holds for any black hole, and requires no details of quantum gravity---but it is also explicitly statistical mechanical, based on counting microscopic states.

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S. Carlip. 1999-01-08. Black Hole Entropy from Conformal Field Theory in Any Dimension. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.82.2828

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