Topological Black Holes in Weyl Conformal Gravity

Abstract

We present a class of exact solutions of Weyl conformal gravity, which have an interpretation as topological black holes. Solutions with negative, zero or positive scalar curvature at infinity are found, the former generalizing the well-known topological black holes in anti-de Sitter gravity. The rather delicate question of thermodynamic properties of such objects in Weyl conformal gravity is discussed; suggesting that the thermodynamics of the found solutions should be treated within the framework of gravity as an induced phenomenon, in the spirit of Sakharov's work.