On the physical process first law for dynamical black holes

Abstract: Physical process version of the first law of black hole mechanics relates the change in entropy of a perturbed Killing horizon, between two asymptotic cross sections, to the matter flow into the horizon. Here, we study the mathematical structure of the physical process first law for a general diffeomorphism invariant theory of gravity. We analyze the effect of ambiguities in the Wald's definition of entropy on the physical process first law. We show that for linearized perturbations, the integrated version of the physical process law, which determines the change of entropy between two asymptotic cross-sections, is independent of these ambiguities. In case of entropy change between two intermediate cross sections of the horizon, we show that it inherits additional contributions, which coincide with the membrane energy associated with the horizon fluid. Using this interpretation, we write down a physical process first law for entropy change between two arbitrary non-stationary cross sections of the horizon for both general relativity and Lanczos-Lovelock gravity.