Derivative Expansion for the One-Loop Effective Lagrangian in QED

Abstract

The derivative expansion of the one-loop effective Lagrangian in QED${}_4$ is considered. The first term in such an expansion is the famous Schwinger result for a constant electromagnetic field. In this paper we give an explicit expression for the next term containing two derivatives of the field strength $F_{\mu \nu }$. The results are presented for both fermion and scalar electrodynamics. Some possible applications of an inhomogeneous external field are pointed out.

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