Renormalization conditions and the effective potential of the massless phi^4 theory

TL;DR

This paper identifies a missing component in the two-loop effective potential calculation of the massless O(N) phi^4 theory, highlighting the need for correction in foundational quantum field theory results.

Contribution

It reveals an omission in Jackiw's 1974 calculation of the two-loop effective potential for massless phi^4 theory, providing necessary corrections.

Findings

Identification of a missing portion in the two-loop effective potential

Implications for accurate calculations in quantum field theory

Correction improves the theoretical understanding of the effective potential

Abstract

We point out that there is a missing portion in the two-loop effective potential of the massless O(N) phi^4 theory obtained by Jackiw in his classic paper, Phys. Rev. D 9, 1686 (1974).