QED Effective Action Revisited

Authors

U. D. Jentschura, Dresden University of Technology, Dresden, Germany
H. Gies, CERN, Geneva, Switzerland
S. R. Valluri, The University of Western Ontario
D. R. Lamm, Georgia Institute of Technology
E. J. Weniger, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

3-2002

Journal

Canadian Journal of Physics

Volume

80

Issue

3

First Page

267

Last Page

284

URL with Digital Object Identifier

http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/p01-139

Abstract

The derivation of a convergent series representation for the quantum electrodynamic effective action obtained by two of us (S.R.V. and D.R.L.) in [Can. J. Phys. 71, 389 (1993)] is reexamined. We present more details of our original derivation. Moreover, we discuss the relation of the electric-magnetic duality to the integral representation for the effective action, and we consider the application of nonlinear convergence acceleration techniques that permit the efficient and reliable numerical evaluation of the quantum correction to the Maxwell Lagrangian.