Dynamics of Asymptotic Diffeomorphisms in (2+1)-Dimensional Gravity

Abstract

In asymptotically anti-de Sitter gravity, diffeomorphisms that change the conformal boundary data can be promoted to genuine physical degrees of freedom. I show that in 2+1 dimensions, the dynamics of these degrees of freedom is described by a Liouville action, with the correct central charge to reproduce the entropy of the BTZ black hole.