Based on the insight gained by many authors over the years on the structure of the Einstein-Hilbert, Gauss-Bonnet and Lovelock gravity Lagrangians, we show how to derive -- in an elementary fashion -- their first-order, generalized "ADM" Lagrangian and associated Hamiltonian. To do so, we start from the Lovelock Lagrangian supplemented with the Myers boundary term, which guarantees a Dirichlet variational principle with a surface term of the form $π^{ij}δh_{ij}$, where $π^{ij}$ is the canonical momentum conjugate to the boundary metric $h_{ij}$. Then, the first-order Lagrangian density is obtained either by integration of $π^{ij}$ over the metric derivative $\partial_wh_{ij}$ normal to the boundary, or by rewriting the Myers term as a bulk term.
This paper presents some possible features of general expressions for Lovelock tensors and for the coefficients of Lovelock Lagrangians up to the 15th order in curvature (and beyond) in terms of the Riemann-Christoffel and Ricci curvature tensors and the Riemann curvature scalar for n-dimensional differentiable manifolds having a general linear connection.
The Lanczos-Lovelock models of gravity constitute the most general theories of gravity in D dimensions which satisfy (a) the principle of of equivalence, (b) the principle of general co-variance, and (c) have field equations involving derivatives of the metric tensor only up to second order. The mth order Lanczos-Lovelock Lagrangian is a polynomial of degree m in the curvature tensor. The field equations resulting from it become trivial in the critical dimension $D = 2m$ and the action itself can be written as the integral of an exterior derivative of an expression involving the vierbeins, in …
We define the concept of Levi Civita truncation for a Lagrangian in the Palatini formulation with an arbitrary connection, and show that its consistency uniquely identifies the Lovelock Lagrangians.
We analyzed static spherically symmetric solutions of the five dimensional (5D) Lovelock gravity in the first order formulation. In the Riemannian sector, when torsion vanishes, Boulware-Deser black hole represents a unique static spherically symmetric black hole solution for the generic choice of the Lagrangian parameters. We showed that the special choice of the Lagrangian parameters, different from the Lovelock Chern-Simons gravity, leads to the existence of the static black hole solution with torsion, which metric is asymptotically AdS. We calculate conserved charges and thermodynamical qu…
We derive the Hamiltonian for spherically symmetric Lovelock gravity using the geometrodynamics approach pioneered by Kuchař in the context of four-dimensional general relativity. When written in terms of the areal radius, the generalized Misner-Sharp mass and their conjugate momenta, the generic Lovelock action and Hamiltonian take on precisely the same simple forms as in general relativity. This result supports the interpretation of Lovelock gravity as the natural higher-dimensional extension of general relativity. It also provides an important first step towards the study of the quantum mec…
The Hamiltonian treatment for the collapse of thin shells for a family of Lanczos-Lovelock theories is studied. This formalism allows us to carry out a concise analysis of these theories. It is found that the black holes solution can be created by collapsing a thin shell. Naked singularities cannot be formed by this mechanism. Among the different Lanczos-Lovelock's theories, the Chern-Simons' theory corresponds to an exceptional case, because naked singularities can emerge from the collapse of a thin shell. This kind of theory does not possess a gravitational self-interaction analogous to the …
In the Riemann geometry, the metric's equation of motion for an arbitrary Lagrangian is succinctly expressed in term of the first variation of the action with respect to the Riemann tensor if the Riemann tensor were independent of the metric. Let this variation be called the E-tensor. Noting that the E-tensor and equations of the motion for a general Lovelock gravity have the same differential degree, we define generalized Lovelock gravity as polynomial scalar densities constructed out from the Riemann tensor and its arbitrary covariant derivatives such that they lead to the same differential …
We show that homogeneous black strings of third-order Lovelock theory are unstable under s-wave perturbations. This analysis is done in dimension $D=9$, which is the lowest dimension that allows the existence of homogeneous black strings in a theory that contains only the third-order Lovelock term in the Lagrangian. As is the case in general relativity, the instability is produced by long wavelength perturbations and it stands for the perturbative counterpart of a thermal instability. We also provide a comparative analysis of the instabilities of black strings at a fixed radius in general rela…
We argue that the Smarr Formula for black holes can be expressed in terms of a Noether charge surface integral plus a suitable volume integral, for any gravitational theory. The integrals can be constructed as an application of Wald's formalism. We apply this formalism to compute the mass and the Smarr Formula for static Lovelock black holes. Finally, we propose a new prescription for Wald's entropy in the case of Lovelock black holes, which takes into account topological contributions to the entropy functional.
We define a "holographic limit" of Lancsoz-Lovelock theories at the Lagrangian level which gives three-dimensional modified gravity theories. We also show that this limit applies to more general classes of theories in higher dimensions provided that they admit the holographic c-theorem.
We consider the Hamiltonian dynamics and thermodynamics of spherically symmetric spacetimes within a one-parameter family of five-dimensional Lovelock theories. We adopt boundary conditions that make every classical solution part of a black hole exterior, with the spacelike hypersurfaces extending from the horizon bifurcation three-sphere to a timelike boundary with fixed intrinsic metric. The constraints are simplified by a Kuchař-type canonical transformation, and the theory is reduced to its true dynamical degrees of freedom. After quantization, the trace of the analytically continued Loren…
In this paper we prove that the $k$-th order metric-affine Lovelock Lagrangian is not a total derivative in the critical dimension $n=2k$ in the presence of non-trivial non-metricity. We use a bottom-up approach, starting with the study of the simplest cases, Einstein-Palatini in two dimensions and Gauss-Bonnet-Palatini in four dimensions, and focus then on the critical Lovelock Lagrangian of arbitrary order. The two-dimensional Einstein-Palatini case is solved completely and the most general solution is provided. For the Gauss-Bonnet case, we first give a particular configuration that violate…
Starting from the SO(2,2n) Chern-Simons form in (2n+1) dimensions we calculate the variation of conserved quantities in Lovelock gravity and Lovelock-Maxwell gravity through the covariant formalism developed in gr-qc/0305047. Despite the technical complexity of the Lovelock Lagrangian we obtain a remarkably simple expression for the variation of the charges ensuing from the diffeomorphism covariance of the theory. The viability of the result is tested in specific applications and the formal expression for the entropy of Lovelock black holes is recovered.
We consider extensions of the Einstein-Hilbert Lagrangian to a general functional of metric and Riemann curvature tensor. A given such Lagrangian describes two different theories depending on considering connection and metric (Palatini formulation), or only the metric (metric formulation) as independent dynamical degrees of freedom. Equivalence of the Palatini and metric formulations at the level of equations of motion, which as we will argue is a manifestation of the Equivalence Principle, is the physical criterion that restricts form of the Lagrangians of modified gravity theories. We prove …
We consider spherically symmetric black holes in generic Lovelock gravity. Using geometrodynamical variables we do a complete Hamiltonian analysis, including derivation of the super-Hamiltonian and super-momentum constraints and verification of suitable boundary conditions for asymptotically flat black holes. Our analysis leads to a remarkably simple fully reduced Hamiltonian for the vacuum gravitational sector that provides the starting point for the quantization of Lovelock block holes. Finally, we derive the completely reduced equations of motion for the collapse of a spherically symmetric …
It is well known that the Reissner-Norstrom solution of Einstein-Maxwell theory cannot be cylindrically extended to higher dimension, as with the black hole solutions in vacuum. In this paper we show that this result is circumvented in Lovelock gravity. We prove that the theory containing only the quadratic Lovelock term, the Gauss-Bonnet term, minimally coupled to a $U(1)$ field, admits homogeneous black string and black brane solutions characterized by the mass, charge and volume of the flat directions. We also show that theories containing a single Lovelock term of order $n$ in the Lagrangi…
This work is mainly devoted to constructing a multisymplectic description of Lovelock's gravity, which is an extension of General Relativity. We establish a Griffiths variational problem for the Lovelock Lagrangian, obtaining the geometric form of the corresponding field equations. We give the unified Lagrangian--Hamiltonian formulation of this model and we study the correspondence between the unified formulations for the Einstein--Hilbert and the Einstein--Palatini models of gravity.
In this paper we show how to translate into tensorial language the Chern-Weil theorem for the Lorentz symmetry, which equates the difference of the Euler densities of two manifolds to the exterior derivative of a transgression form. For doing so we need to introduce an auxiliary, hybrid, manifold whose geometry we construct explicitely. This allows us to find the vector density, constructed out of spacetime quantities only, whose divergence is the exterior derivative of the transgression form. As a consequence we can show how the Einstein-Hilbert, Gauss-Bonnet and, in general, the Euler scalar…
Intersecting hypersurfaces in classical Lovelock gravity are studied exploiting the description of the Lovelock Lagrangian as a sum of dimensionally continued Euler densities. We wish to present an interesting geometrical approach to the problem. The analysis allows us to deal most efficiently with the division of space-time into a honeycomb network of cells produced by an arbitrary arrangement of membranes of matter. We write the gravitational action as bulk terms plus integrals over each lower dimensional intersection. The spin connection is discontinuous at the shared boundaries of the cell…
A general formula for the entropy of stationary black holes in Lovelock gravity theories is obtained by integrating the first law of black hole mechanics, which is derived by Hamiltonian methods. The entropy is not simply one quarter of the surface area of the horizon, but also includes a sum of intrinsic curvature invariants integrated over a cross section of the horizon.
Although gravitational actions diverge in asymptotically AdS spacetimes, boundary counterterms can be added in order to cancel out those divergences; such counterterms are known in general to third order in the Riemann tensor for the Einstein-Hilbert action. Considering foliations of AdS with an $S^m \times H^{d-m}$ boundary, we discuss a simple algorithm which we use to generate counterterms up to sixth order in the Riemann tensor, for the Einstein-Hilbert, Gauss-Bonnet and third-order-Lovelock Lagrangians. We also comment on other theories such as $F(R)$ gravity.
We prove the theorem: The second order quasi-linear differential operator as a second rank divergence free tensor in the equation of motion for gravitation could always be derived from the trace of the Bianchi derivative of the fourth rank tensor, which is a homogeneous polynomial in curvatures. The existence of such a tensor for each term in the polynomial Lagrangian is a new characterization of the Lovelock gravity.
We study dynamical structure of Pure Lovelock gravity in spacetime dimensions higher than four using the Hamiltonian formalism. The action consists of cosmological constant and a single higher-order polynomial in the Riemann tensor. Similarly to Einstein-Hilbert action, it possesses a unique constant curvature vacuum and charged black hole solutions. We analyze physical degrees of freedom and local symmetries in this theory. In contrast to the Einstein-Hilbert case, a number of degrees of freedom depends on the background and can vary from zero to the maximal value carried by the Lovelock theo…
We derive conserved charges as quasi-local Hamiltonians by covariant phase space methods for a class of geometric Lagrangians that can be written in terms of the spin connection, the vielbein and possibly other tensorial form fields, allowing also for non-zero torsion. We then re-calculate certain known results and derive some new ones in three to six dimensions hopefully enlightening certain aspects of all of them. The quasi-local energy is defined in terms of the metric and not its first derivatives, requiring `regularization' for convergence in most cases. Counter-terms consistent with Diri…
Using a Hamiltonian treatment, charged thin shells in spherically symmetric spacetimes in d dimensional Lovelock-Maxwell theory are studied. The coefficients of the theory are chosen to obtain a sensible theory, with a negative cosmological constant appearing naturally. After writing the action and the Lagrangian for a spacetime comprised of an interior and an exterior regions, with a thin shell as a boundary in between, one finds the Hamiltonian using an ADM description. For spherically symmetric spacetimes, one reduces the relevant constraints. The dynamic and constraint equations are obtain…
We consider theories describing the dynamics of a four-dimensional metric, whose Lagrangian is diffeomorphism invariant and depends at most on second derivatives of the metric. Imposing degeneracy conditions we find a set of Lagrangians that, apart form the Einstein-Hilbert one, are either trivial or contain more than two degrees of freedom. Among the partially degenerate theories, we recover Chern-Simons gravity, endowed with constraints whose structure suggests the presence of instabilities. Then, we enlarge the class of parity violating theories of gravity by introducing new "chiral scalar-…
We obtain the classical holographic relation for the general Lovelock gravity and decompose the full Lagrangian into the bulk term and the surface term, expressed as a total derivative $\partial_μJ^μ$. By classical holographic relation, we mean that $J^μ$ is determined completely by the bulk term. We find that the bulk term is not degenerate, or first-order in this foliation-independent approach. We then consider the Arnowitt-Deser-Misner (ADM) formalism where the foliation coordinate $w$ is treated as special. We obtain the classical holographic-degenerate relation with the first-order bulk t…
We consider third order Lovelock gravity coupled to an U(1) gauge field for which its Lagrangian is given by a power of Maxwell invariant. In this paper, we present a class of horizon flat rotating black branes and investigate their geometrical properties and the effect of nonlinearity on the solutions. We use some known formulas and methods to calculate thermodynamic and conserved quantities. Finally, we check the satisfaction of the first law of thermodynamics.
We perform a space-time analysis of the D>4 quadratic curvature Lanczos-Lovelock (LL) model, exhibiting its dependence on intrinsic/extrinsic curvatures, lapse and shifts. As expected from general covariance, the field equations include D constraints, of zeroth and first time derivative order. In the "linearized" - here necessarily cubic - limit, we give an explicit formulation in terms of the usual ADM metric decomposition, incidentally showing that time derivatives act only on its transverse-traceless spatial components. Unsurprisingly, pure LL has no Hamiltonian formulation, nor are even it…
We revisit the spherically symmetric third order Lovelock black hole solution in 7-dimensions. We show that the general solution for the metric function does not admit the Gauss-Bonnet (GB) limit. This is not expected due to the linear superposition of the second (GB) and third order Lovelock Lagrangians in the general action. It is found that the two branches of the GB solutions are indeed the limit of the other two complex solutions of the field equations in the third order Lovelock gravity. These two complex solutions could not be accepted as the solutions of the Einstein's field equations …
We present a Born-Infeld type theory to describe the evolution of p-branes propagating in an N = (p+2)-dimensional Minkowski spacetime. The expansion of the BI-type volume element gives rise to the (p+1) Lovelock brane invariants associated with the worldvolume swept out by the brane. Contrary to the Lovelock theory in gravity, the number of Lovelock brane Lagrangians differs in this case, depending on the dimension of the worldvolume as a consequence that we consider the embedding functions, instead of the metric, as the field variables. This model depends on the intrinsic and the extrinsic g…
The Lovelock Lagrangian is for even dimension D obtained from Weil polynomials on the Lie algebra of the Lorentz group SO(1,D-1). The procedure for generating it is related to the Weil homomorphism that converts Lie algebra invariants into cohomology classes.
Conserved currents and related superpotentials for perturbations on arbitrary backgrounds in the Lovelock theory are constructed. We use the Lagrangian based field-theoretical method where perturbations are considered as dynamical fields propagating on a given background. Such a formulation is exact (not approximate) and equivalent to the theory in the original metric form. From the very start, using Noether theorem, we derive the Noether-Klein identities and adopt them for the purposes of the current work. Applying these identities in the framework of Lovelock theory, we construct conserved c…
By dimensional reduction of the Lovelock Lagrangian, effective four-dimensional field equations and expressions for the cosmological and gravitational constants are obtained. A cosmological model is discussed with the n-torus as internal space.
We present a theorem in d-dimensional static, spherically symmetric spacetime in generic Lovelock gravity coupled with a non-linear electrodynamic source to generate solutions. The theorem states that irrespective of the order of the Lovelock gravity and non-linear Maxwell (NLM) Lagrangian, for the pure electric field case the NLM equations are satisfied by virtue of the Einstein-Lovelock equations. Applications of the theorem, specifically to the study of black hole solutions in Chern-Simons (CS) theory is given. Radiating version of the theorem has been considered, which generalizes the Bonn…
According to Lovelock's theorem, the Hilbert-Einstein and the Lovelock actions are indistinguishable from their field equations. However, they have different scalar-tensor counterparts, which correspond to the Brans-Dicke and the \emph{Lovelock-Brans-Dicke} (LBD) gravities, respectively. In this paper the LBD model of alternative gravity with the Lagrangian density $\mathscr{L}_{\text{LBD}}=\frac{1}{16π}\left[ϕ\left( R +\frac{a}{\sqrt{-g}}{}^*RR + b\mathcal{G}\right)-\frac{ω_{\text{L}}}ϕ\nabla_αϕ\nabla^αϕ\right]$ is developed, where ${}^*RR$ and $\mathcal{G}$ respectively denote the topologica…
The prescription of Silva to derive superpotential equations from variational derivatives rather than from Lagrangian densities is applied to theories of gravity derived from Lovelock Lagrangians in the Palatini representation. Spacetimes are without torsion and isolated sources of gravity are minimally coupled. On a closed boundary of spacetime, the metric is given and the connection coefficients are those of Christoffel. We derive equations for the superpotentials in these conditions. The equations are easily integrated and we give the general expression for all superpotentials associated wi…
We apply the converse of Noether's second theorem to the first-order $n$-dimensional Lovelock action, considering the frame rotation group as both $SO\left(1,n-1\right)$ or as $SO(n)$. As a result, we get the well-known invariance under local Lorentz transformations or $SO(n)$ transformations and diffeomorphisms, for odd- and even-dimensional manifolds. We also obtain the so-called `local translations' with nonvanishing constant $Λ$ for odd-dimensional manifolds when a certain relation among the coefficients of the various terms of the first-order Lovelock Lagrangian is satisfied. When this re…
Spacetimes with horizons show a resemblance to thermodynamic systems and one can associate the notions of temperature and entropy with them. In the case of Einstein-Hilbert gravity, it is possible to interpret Einstein's equations as the thermodynamic identity TdS = dE + PdV for a spherically symmetric spacetime and thus provide a thermodynamic route to understand the dynamics of gravity. We study this approach further and show that the field equations for Lanczos-Lovelock action in a spherically symmetric spacetime can also be expressed as TdS = dE + PdV with S and E being given by expression…
The gravitational Lagrangian can be written as a summation of a bulk and a total derivative term. For some theories of gravity such as Einstein gravity, or more general Lovelock gravities, there are Lagrangian holographic relations between the bulk and the total derivative term such that the latter is fully determined by the former. However at the $D\rightarrow 2\&4$ limit, the bulks of Einstein or Gauss-Bonnet theories become themselves total derivatives. Performing the Kaluza-Klein reduction on Einstein and Gauss-Bonnet gravities gives rise to some two-dimensional or four-dimensional scalar-…
In this note we perform the $n+1$ decomposition, or Arnowitt Deser Misner (ADM) formulation of $f($Lovelock$)$ gravity theory. The hamiltonian form of Lovelock gravity was known since the work of C. Teitelboim and J. Zanelli in 1987, but this result had not yet been extended to $f($Lovelock$)$ gravity. Besides, field equations of $f($Lovelock$)$ have been recently be computed by P. Bueno et al., though without ADM decomposition. We focus on the non-degenerate case, ie. when the Hessian of $f$ is invertible. Using the same Legendre transform as for $f(\mathrm{R})$ theories, we can identify the …
We construct a quintic quasi-topological gravity in five dimensions, i.e. a theory with a Lagrangian containing $\mathcal{R}^5$ terms and whose field equations are of second order on spherically (hyperbolic or planar) symmetric spacetimes. These theories have recently received attention since when formulated on asymptotically AdS spacetimes might provide for gravity duals of a broad class of CFTs. For simplicity we focus on five dimensions. We show that this theory fulfils a Birkhoff's Theorem as it is the case in Lovelock gravity and therefore, for generic values of the couplings, there is no…
A non-topological Lorentz gauge model of gravity with torsion based on Gauss-Bonnet type Lagrangian is considered. The Lagrangian differs from the Lovelock term in four-dimensional space-time and has a number of interesting features. We demonstrate that the model admits a propagating torsion unlike the case of the topological Lovelock gravity. Due to additional symmetries of the proposed Gauss-Bonnet type Lagrangian the torsion has a reduced set of dynamical degrees of freedom corresponding to the spin two field, U(1) gauge vector field and spin zero field. A remarkable feature is that the kin…
Timelike Entanglement First Law and Linearized Field Equations in Higher Curvature Gravity
School of Physics and Astronomy, Sun Yat-Sen University(中山大学物理与天文学院);Institute of Fundamental Physics and Quantum Technology & School of Physical Science and Technology, Ningbo University(宁波大学基础物理与量子技术研究所及物理科学与技术学院)
We present the asymptotically AdS solutions of the Einstein gravity with hyperbolic horizons in the presence of $So(n(n-1)/2-1, 1)$ Yang-Mills fields governed by the non-Abelian Born-Infeld lagrangian. We investigate the properties of these solutions as well as their asymptotic behavior in varies dimensions. The properties of these kind of solutions are like the Einstein-Yang-Mills solutions. But the differences seems to appear in the role of the mass, charge and born-Infeld parameter $β$, in the solutions. For example in Einstein-Yang-Mills theory the solutions with non-negative mass cannot p…
We compare the metric and the Palatini formalism to obtain the Einstein equations in the presence of higher-order curvature corrections that consist of contractions of the Riemann tensor, but not of its derivatives. We find that there is a class of theories for which the two formalisms are equivalent. This class contains the Palatini version of Lovelock theory, but also more Lagrangians that are not Lovelock, but respect certain symmetries. For the general case, we find that imposing the Levi-Civita connection as an Ansatz, the Palatini formalism is contained within the metric formalism, in th…
We first derive the Hamiltonian for Lovelock gravity and find that it takes the same form as in general relativity when written in terms of the Misner-Sharp mass function. We then minimally couple the action to matter fields to find Hamilton's equations of motion. These are gauge fixed to be in the Painlevé-Gullstrand co-ordinates and are well suited to numerical studies of black hole formation. We then use these equations of motion for the massless scalar field to study the formation of general relativistic black holes in four to eight dimensions and Einstein-Gauss-Bonnet black holes in five …
We have proceeded analogy of Einstein tensor and alternative form of Einstein field equations for generic coeffcients of eight terms in third order of Lovelock Lagrangian. We have found constraint between the coeffcients into two forms, an independent and a dimensional dependent versions. Each form has three degrees of freedom, and not only the exact coeffcients of third order Lovelock Lagrangian satisfy the two forms of constraints, also the two independent cubic of Weyl tensor satisfy the independent constraint in six dimensions and yield the dimensional dependent version identically indepen…
We revise two regularization mechanisms for Lovelock gravity with AdS asymptotics. The first one corresponds to the Dirichlet counterterm method, where local functionals of the boundary metric are added to the bulk action on top of a Gibbons-Hawking-Myers term that defines the Dirichlet problem in gravity. The generalized Gibbons-Hawking term can be found in any Lovelock theory following the Myers' procedure to achieve a well-posed action principle for a Dirichlet boundary condition on the metric, which is proved to be equivalent to the Hamiltonian formulation for a radial foliation of spaceti…
Superpotentials offer a direct means of calculating conserved charges associated with the asymptotic symmetries of space-time. Yet superpotentials have been plagued with inconsistencies, resulting in nonphysical or incongruent values for the mass, angular momentum and energy loss due to radiation. The approach of Regge and Teitelboim, aimed at a clear Hamiltonian formulation with a boundary, and its extension to the Lagrangian formulation by Julia and Silva have resolved these issues, and have resulted in a consistent, well-defined and unique variational equation for the superpotential, thereb…
As in the case of Lanczos-Lovelock gravity, the main advantage of F(T) gravity is said to be that it leads to second order field equations, while F(R) gravity theory leads to fourth order equations. We show that it is rather a disadvantage, since it leads to the unresolved issue of `Branched Hamiltonian'. The problem is bypassed in F(R,T) gravity theory.
This paper is devoted to the study of the constraint equations of the Lovelock gravity theories. In the case of an empty, compact, conformally flat, time-symmetric, and space-like manifold, we show that the Hamiltonian constraint equation becomes a generalisation of the $σ_k$-Yamabe problem. That is to say, the prescription of a linear combination of the $σ_k$-curvatures of the manifold. We search solutions in a conformal class for a compact manifold. Using the existing results on the $σ_k$-Yamabe problem, we describe some cases in which they can be extended to this new problem. This requires …
We work on the Lagrangian and the Hamiltonian formulations of the Palatini action. In the Lagrangian formulation, we find that we need to assume the metric compatibility and the torsion zero or to assume the tetrad compatibility to describe General Relativity. In the Hamiltonian formulation, we obtain the Einstein's equations only with assuming the tetrad compatibility. The Hamiltonian from assuming the metric compatibility and the torsion zero should be used to quantize General Relativity.
Recently a {\it local} true (completely gauge fixed) Hamiltonian for spherically symmetric collapse was derived in terms of Ashtekar variables. We show that such a local Hamiltonian follows directly from the geometrodynamics of gravity theories that obey a Birkhoff theorem and possess a mass function that is constant on the constraint surface in vacuum. In addition to clarifying the geometrical content, our approach has the advantage that it can be directly applied to a large class of spherically symmetric and 2D gravity theories, including $p$-th order Lovelock gravity in D dimensions. The re…
We calculate the Hilbert action for the Bondi-Sachs metrics. It yields the Einstein vacuum equations in a closed form. Following the Dirac approach to constrained systems we investigate the related Hamiltonian formulation.