Quantum Scalar Corrections to the Gravitational Potentials on de Sitter Background

TL;DR

This paper calculates quantum corrections to gravitational potentials on de Sitter space caused by a massless scalar, revealing a secular decrease in gravitational strength over time.

Contribution

It introduces a method to compute quantum gravitational corrections on de Sitter background using the graviton self-energy from a massless scalar.

Findings

Gravitational potentials show a secular decrease in effective gravitational coupling.

Quantum corrections induce a time-dependent anti-screening effect.

Results are derived using the Schwinger-Keldysh formalism at one-loop order.

Abstract

We employ the graviton self-energy induced by a massless, minimally coupled (MMC) scalar on de Sitter background to compute the quantum corrections to the gravitational potentials of a static point particle with a mass $M$. The Schwinger-Keldysh formalism is used to derive real and causal effective field equations. When evaluated at the one-loop order, the gravitational potentials exhibit a secular decrease in the observed gravitational coupling $G$. This can also be interpreted as a (time dependent) anti-screening of the mass $M$.