Vilkovisky-DeWitt effective potential for higher-derivative gravity coupled to scalars

Journal Article · Fri Mar 15 04:00:00 EST 1991 · Physical Review, D (Particles Fields); (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.43.1859· OSTI ID:5623079

Cho, H T ^[1]

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1. Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma 73019 (USA)

Using a four-parameter family of gauges, the one-loop Vilkovisky-DeWitt effective potential for higher-derivative gravity coupled to scalars about a flat background spacetime is constructed. It is shown explicitly to be independent of the gauge parameters. The effective potential is then evaluated at finite temperature which is used to investigate the possibility of inducing Einstein gravity spontaneously. The critical temperature for this phase transition is also estimated. This phase transition, if it exists, will occur in the early Universe between the grand-unified-theory and the Planck scales, and may be a candidate for the primordial inflationary universe scenario.

• OSTI ID: 5623079
• Journal Information: Physical Review, D (Particles Fields); (USA), Journal Name: Physical Review, D (Particles Fields); (USA) Vol. 43:6; ISSN PRVDA; ISSN 0556-2821
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640106* -- Astrophysics & Cosmology-- Cosmology
645400 -- High Energy Physics-- Field Theory
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS
COSMOLOGICAL MODELS
COUPLING
DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
EIGENVALUES
EINSTEIN FIELD EQUATIONS
EQUATIONS
EQUATIONS OF MOTION
FIELD EQUATIONS
FIELD THEORIES
FUNCTIONS
GAUGE INVARIANCE
GRAND UNIFIED THEORY
GRAVITATIONAL FIELDS
INFLATIONARY UNIVERSE
INVARIANCE PRINCIPLES
KALUZA-KLEIN THEORY
LAGRANGIAN FUNCTION
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
METRICS
PARTIAL DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
PARTICLE MODELS
PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS
POTENTIALS
SCALAR FIELDS
SPACE-TIME
SYMMETRY BREAKING
UNIFIED GAUGE MODELS
UNIFIED-FIELD THEORIES