Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-theoretical-physics-i-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2019/3/c/solution

Choose the real representative . For ,
and the fourth power through quadratic order is
In , the linear terms and the terms cancel because . The remaining potential contribution is .
The time-derivative contribution is
Its first term is a total derivative and contributes only a temporal boundary term for fixed endpoint fields. Since is uniform, the gradient contribution is simply . Dropping that boundary term and the constant, the quadratic condensate fluctuation Lagrangian is
The omitted cubic and quartic interactions describe scattering between these small fluctuations; they do not enter the linear normal mode calculation.

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