Double-horizon limit, AdS geometry and entropy function

We start from a generic metric which describes four-dimensional stationary black holes in an arbitrary theory of gravity and show that the AdS₂ part of the near-horizon geometry is a consequence of the double-horizon limit and finiteness. We also show that the field configurations of the near horizon are determined if the same conditions are applied to the equations of motion. This is done by showing that in the double-horizon limit field equations at the horizon decouple from the bulk of the space. Solving these equations gives the near-horizon field configurations. It is shown that these decoupled equations can be obtained from an action derived from the original action by applying the double-horizon condition. Our results agree with the entropy function method.