Logarithmic corrections to black hole entropy, from the Cardy formula

Abstract

Many recent attempts to calculate black hole entropy from firstprinciples rely on conformal field theory techniques. By examining thelogarithmic corrections to the Cardy formula, I compute the first-orderquantum correction to the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy in severalmodels, including those based on asymptotic symmetries, horizonsymmetries and certain string theories. Despite very different physicalassumptions, these models all give a correction proportional tothe logarithm of the horizon size, and agree qualitatively with recentresults from `quantum geometry' in 3 + 1 dimensions. There are someindications that even the coefficient of the correction may be universal,up to differences that depend on the treatment of angular momentumand conserved charges.