2006/07/23 by Ashok Das, Gerald V. Dunne · 3 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Black Holes and Theoretical Physics #Cosmology and Gravitation Theories #Quantum Electrodynamics and Casimir Effect #hep-th
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevd.74.044029
published as Phys.Rev.D74:044029,2006 · 18 pages
arxiv created 2006/07/23 · openalex publication_date 2006/08/25 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
We analyze the large-order behavior of the perturbative weak-field expansion of the effective Lagrangian density of a massive scalar in de Sitter and anti--de Sitter space, and show that this perturbative information is not sufficient to describe the nonperturbative behavior of these theories, in contrast to the analogous situation for the Euler-Heisenberg effective Lagrangian density for charged scalars in constant electric and magnetic background fields. For example, in even-dimensional de Sitter space there is particle production, but the effective Lagrangian density is nevertheless real, even though its weak-field expansion is a divergent nonalternating series whose formal imaginary part corresponds to the correct particle production rate. This apparent puzzle is resolved by considering the full nonperturbative structure of the relevant Feynman propagators, and cannot be resolved solely from the perturbative expansion.