The one-loop effective action and trace anomaly in four dimensions

1994/04/30 by A. O. Barvinsky, Yu. V. Gusev, G. A. Vilkovisky +1 · 3 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Black Holes and Theoretical Physics #Cosmology and Gravitation Theories #Quantum Electrodynamics and Casimir Effect #hep-th

paper · pdf · doi:10.1016/0550-3213(94)00585-3

published as Nucl.Phys. B439 (1995) 561-582 · 26 pages, REVTeX, Alberta Thy 15-94

arxiv created 1994/05/03 · openalex publication_date 1995/04/01 · arxiv updated 2009/11/30 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28

Abstract

The one-loop effective action for a generic set of quantum fields is calculared as a nonlocal expansion in powers of the curvatures (field strengths). This expansion is obtained to third order in the curvature. It is stressed that the covariant vertices are finite. The trace anomaly in four dimensions is obtained directly by varying the effective action. The nonlocal terms in the action, producing the anomaly, contain non-trivial functions of three operator arguments. The trace anomaly is derived also by making the conformal transformation in the heat kernel.

Citations

• Covariant Perturbation Theory (IV). Third Order in the Curvature
• Is there a c-theorem in four dimensions?

Cited by

• The refractive index of curved spacetime: The fate of causality in QED
• QED trace anomaly, non-local Lagrangians and quantum Equivalence Principle violations
• Spontaneous breaking of conformal invariance and trace anomaly matching