Semiclassical Methods in Curved Spacetime and Black Hole Thermodynamics
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Improved semiclassical techniques are developed and applied to a treatment of a real scalar field in a $D$-dimensional gravitational background. This analysis, leading to a derivation of the thermodynamics of black holes, is based on the simultaneous use of: (i) a near-horizon description of the scalar field in terms of conformal quantum mechanics; (ii) a novel generalized WKB framework; and (iii) curved-spacetime phase-space methods. In addition, this improved semiclassical approach is shown to be asymptotically exact in the presence of hierarchical expansions of a near-horizon type. Most importantly, this analysis further supports the claim that the thermodynamics of black holes is induced by their near-horizon conformal invariance.
18 pages. Sections 1 through 4 were reduced by eliminating inessential equations and paragraphs; additional comments were added in Section 5. A few typos were corrected. The central equations and concepts remain unchanged
18 pages. Sections 1 through 4 were reduced by eliminating inessential equations and paragraphs; additional comments were added in Section 5. A few typos were corrected. The central equations and concepts remain unchanged