The heat-kernel and the average effective potential

TL;DR

This paper explores the use of heat-kernel methods to define the average effective action, analyzing a scalar field model in flat and curved spacetime, and discusses implications for inflationary cosmology.

Contribution

It introduces a heat-kernel based approach to the average effective action and applies it to a self-interacting scalar field model, including renormalization group analysis.

Findings

Renormalization group flow of effective potential parameters studied

Implications for inflationary cosmology discussed

Method applicable to curved spacetime scenarios

Abstract

We discuss the definition of the average effective action in terms of the heat-kernel. As an example we examine a model describing a self-interacting scalar field, both in flat and curved background, and study the renormalization group flow of some of the parameters characterizing its effective potential. Some implications of the running of these parameters for inflationary cosmology are also briefly discussed.