Manifestations of Quantum Gravityin Scalar QED Phenomena

TL;DR

This paper investigates quantum gravitational effects on scalar QED, revealing phenomena like dimensional transmutation, potential instabilities, and curvature-induced phase transitions through analytical and numerical methods.

Contribution

It provides the first calculation of quantum gravity corrections to scalar QED effective potential at one-loop level with higher-derivative gravity.

Findings

Quantum gravity induces dimensional transmutation.

Potential instabilities driven by quantum gravity are identified.

Curvature can induce phase transitions in scalar QED.

Abstract

Quantum gravitational corrections to the effective potential, at one-loop level and in the leading-log approximation, for scalar quantum electrodynamics with higher-derivative gravity ---which is taken as an effective theory for quantum gravity (QG)--- are calculated. We point out the appearence of relevant phenomena caused by quantum gravity, like dimensional transmutation, QG-driven instabilities of the potential, QG corrrections to scalar-to-vector mass ratios, and curvature-induced phase transitions, whose existence is shown by means of analytical and numerical study.