Entropy and black hole horizons

Abstract

The standard approach of counting the number of eigenmodes of $N$ scalar fields near the horizon is used as a basis to provide a simple statistical mechanical derivation of the black hole entropy in two and four dimensions. The Bekenstein formula $S={A\ov 4G\h}$ and the two-dimensional entropy $S=2M/ł\h $ are naturally obtained (up to a numerical constant of order 1). This approach provides an explanation on why the black hole entropy is of order $1/\h $ and why it is independent of the number of field-theoretical degrees of freedom.

13 pages, harvmac, 1 figure (section 2 expanded)

References in corpus (9)

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• The Stretched Horizon and Black Hole Complementarity
• On Geometric Entropy
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• The Endpoint of Hawking Evaporation
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Cited by in corpus (13)

• Conformal description of horizon's states
• Entropy of the BTZ Black Hole in 2+1 Dimensions
• Canonical entropy of three-dimensional BTZ black hole
• Euclidean Approach to the Entropy for a Scalar Field in Rindler-like Space-Times
• Horizon conformal entropy in Gauss-Bonnet gravity
• Hamiltonian thermodynamics of two-dimensional vacuum dilatonic black holes
• Validity of the Semiclassical Approximation and Back=reaction
• Quantum corrections for (anti)-evaporating black hole
• Gravitational anomalies and entropy
• Model of black hole evolution
• Black holes by analytic continuation
• Aspects of Diffeomorphism and Conformal invariance in classical Liouville theory
• Microscopic interpretation of black hole entropy