Role of Mann Counterterm in Gravitational Energy

Abstract

In 1999, R. B. Mann proposed a counterterm that is some sort of generalization of the well-known Holographic counterterm and that can eliminate the divergence of the gravitational action of asymptotically AdS and flat spacetimes (Phys. Rev. D $\boldsymbol{60}$ (1999) 104047 [1]). I show it is not only for eliminating the divergence of such spacetimes but also for setting the ground state energy to zero for any $d$-dimensional spacetimes with an $S^{d-2} \times \mathbb{R} $ boundary geometry, and speculate it is also true for spacetimes with any (suitable) boundary geometry and topology.