Abstract
The thermodynamics of black holes is shown to be directly induced by their near-horizon conformal invariance. This behavior is exhibited using a scalar field as a probe of the black hole gravitational background, for a general class of metrics in spacetime dimensions (with ). The ensuing analysis is based on conformal quantum mechanics, within a hierarchical near-horizon expansion. In particular, the leading conformal behavior provides the correct quantum statistical properties for the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy, with the near-horizon physics governing the thermodynamics from the outset. Most importantly: (i) this treatment reveals the emergence of holographic properties; (ii) the conformal coupling parameter is shown to be related to the Hawking temperature; and (iii) Schwarzschild-like coordinates, despite their “coordinate singularity,” can be used self-consistently to describe the thermodynamics of black holes.
- Received 27 December 2004
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.71.104029
©2005 American Physical Society