Horizon conformal entropy in Gauss-Bonnet gravity

We treat spherically symmetric black holes in Gauss-Bonnet gravity by imposing boundary conditions on fluctuating metric on the horizon. Obtained effective two-dimensional theory admits Virasoro algebra near the horizon. This enables, with the help of Cardy formula, evaluation of the number of states. Obtained results coincide with the known macroscopic expression for the entropy of black holes in Gauss-Bonnet gravity. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.