Related Concept Videos
Magnetic Vector Potential
Consider an ideal solenoid with n turns per unit length and radius R. If I is the current through the solenoid, the magnetic field inside the solenoid is expressed as the product of vacuum...
Determining Electric Field From Electric Potential
In general, regardless of whether the electric field is uniform, it points in the direction of decreasing potential because the force on a positive...
Gauss's Law
The Principle of Superposition and the Gravitational Field
Calculations of Electric Potential II
Consider a...
The Quantum-Mechanical Model of an Atom
You might also read
Related Articles
Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.
A window on infrared QCD with small expansion parameters.
Decoherence and thermalization of a pure quantum state in quantum field theory.
Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 26, 2026

Generation and Coherent Control of Pulsed Quantum Frequency Combs
Published on: June 8, 2018
Effective potential for quantum scalar fields in a de Sitter geometry.
1Astro-Particule et Cosmologie, Université Paris 7-Denis Diderot, 10 rue Alice Domont et Léonie Duquet, 75205 Paris cedex 13, France.
We investigated quantum O(N) scalar fields on de Sitter geometry. Our findings show self-interactions create a positive mass, preventing broken symmetry states due to enhanced fluctuations.
Area of Science:
- Quantum Field Theory
- Cosmology
- String Theory
Background:
- De Sitter geometry is crucial for understanding cosmic inflation and the early universe.
- Scalar fields are fundamental in many cosmological models, including inflation and dark energy.
- The O(N) scalar field model provides a simplified yet powerful framework for studying quantum field behavior in curved spacetimes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the quantum theory of an O(N) scalar field on de Sitter geometry.
- To investigate the effects of nonperturbative 1/N expansion on quantum field dynamics.
- To determine the behavior of the effective potential and symmetry breaking in this context.
Main Methods:
- Leading order analysis in a nonperturbative 1/N expansion.
- Resummation of superdaisy loop diagrams.
- Derivation and solution of renormalized dynamical field equations.
- Computation of the complete effective potential.
Main Results:
- The scalar field acquires a strictly positive square mass due to self-interactions.
- This positive mass effectively screens potential infrared divergences.
- Strongly enhanced ultralong-wavelength fluctuations were observed.
- The existence of a spontaneously broken symmetry state is prevented in any dimension.
Conclusions:
- Self-interactions in quantum O(N) scalar fields on de Sitter space lead to mass generation and infrared divergence screening.
- Enhanced quantum fluctuations disrupt symmetry breaking mechanisms.
- The study provides insights into the behavior of quantum fields in cosmological spacetimes, relevant for early universe physics.

