A New Boundary Counterterm for Asymptotically AdS Spacetimes

Abstract

We present a modified version of the boundary counterterm method for removing divergences from the action of an asymptotically $AdS$ spacetime. The standard approach renders the action finite but leaves diffeomorphism invariance partially broken if the dimension of the spacetime is odd. We show that this symmetry is restored by a new boundary counterterm, needed to cancel a divergence that appears in dimensional regularization. The result is a finite, diffeomorphism invariant action appropriate for gravitational physics. As an example we calculate the action for the Kerr-$AdS_5$ black hole. Unlike the standard boundary counterterm results, our action yields conserved charges that are consistent with the first law of black hole thermodynamics.