Hidden Degeneracy in the Brick Wall Model of Black Holes

Abstract

Quantum field theory in the near-horizon region of a black hole predicts the existence of an infinite number of degenerate modes. Such a degeneracy is regulated in the brick wall model by the introduction of a short distance cutoff. In this Letter we show that states of the brick wall model with non zero energy admit a further degeneracy for any given finite value of the cutoff. The black hole entropy is calculated within the brick wall model taking this degeneracy into account. Modes with complex frequencies however do not exhibit such a degeneracy.