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Autori principali: Buchbinder, Evgeny I., Grasso, Darren T., Pinelli, Joshua R.
Natura: Preprint
Pubblicazione: 2026
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Accesso online:https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.19339
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author Buchbinder, Evgeny I.
Grasso, Darren T.
Pinelli, Joshua R.
author_facet Buchbinder, Evgeny I.
Grasso, Darren T.
Pinelli, Joshua R.
contents We develop a heat kernel method to compute the one-loop effective action for a general class of nonlinear electrodynamic (NLED) theories in four dimensional Minkowski spacetime. Working in the background field formalism, we extract the logarithmically divergent part of the effective action, the so-called induced action, corresponding to the DeWitt $a_2$ coefficient of the heat kernel. In NLED, quantisation yields non-minimal differential operators, for which standard heat kernel techniques are not immediately applicable. Considering the weak-field regime, we calculate the $a_0$, $a_1$ and $a_2$ contributions to leading order in the background electromagnetic field strength. Finally, we consider conformal NLED theories and compute the $a_0$ contribution to all orders. For this class, we comment on the role of causality being necessary and sufficient for the convergence of the exact $a_1$ and $a_2$ contributions.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2601_19339
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Heat kernel approach to the one-loop effective action for nonlinear electrodynamics
Buchbinder, Evgeny I.
Grasso, Darren T.
Pinelli, Joshua R.
High Energy Physics - Theory
We develop a heat kernel method to compute the one-loop effective action for a general class of nonlinear electrodynamic (NLED) theories in four dimensional Minkowski spacetime. Working in the background field formalism, we extract the logarithmically divergent part of the effective action, the so-called induced action, corresponding to the DeWitt $a_2$ coefficient of the heat kernel. In NLED, quantisation yields non-minimal differential operators, for which standard heat kernel techniques are not immediately applicable. Considering the weak-field regime, we calculate the $a_0$, $a_1$ and $a_2$ contributions to leading order in the background electromagnetic field strength. Finally, we consider conformal NLED theories and compute the $a_0$ contribution to all orders. For this class, we comment on the role of causality being necessary and sufficient for the convergence of the exact $a_1$ and $a_2$ contributions.
title Heat kernel approach to the one-loop effective action for nonlinear electrodynamics
topic High Energy Physics - Theory
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.19339