Quantum effective potential ($\Gamma [\phi =\text{constant}]=\int d^{d}x{V}_{\mathrm{eff}}(\phi )$)

The quantum effective potential is the derivative-free part of the quantum effective action evaluated on a spatially constant background. The displayed sign uses $\Gamma =-W+\int J\phi$ for $Z=e^{iW}$ and the source term $+J\varphi$; the opposite effective-action convention gives $-\int V_{\mathrm{eff}}$. Its derivatives give zero-momentum one-particle-irreducible vertices. The value depends on a renormalization scheme and scale; an arbitrary additive vacuum-energy constant may be fixed separately.

For one canonically normalized real scalar field and $V^{\prime \prime }(\phi )>0$, the modified minimal subtraction scheme gives the displayed one-loop term. The Gaussian fluctuation approximation produces $\frac{1}{2}\int d^d{k}_E(2\pi {)}^{-d}\log (k_E^2+V^{\prime \prime }(\phi ))$. Its derivative in $V^{\prime \prime }$ is half the Euclidean massive loop integral with $n=1$. Integrating and subtracting its pole yields the formula, up to a field-independent constant. Other finite counterterms alter the scheme-dependent nonlogarithmic part. Negative curvature requires an analytic continuation and can yield an imaginary part indicating instability of that background.

For $d=4-ϵ$, the scalar one-loop determinant has the displayed local divergent potential. If $V$ is a quartic polynomial, then $V^{\prime \prime }$ has degree at most two and $(V^{\prime \prime }{)}^2$ has degree at most four. Its subtraction therefore uses the original polynomial couplings and a vacuum-energy term. A polynomial potential of degree $r>4$ instead produces degree $2r-4>r$, requiring new couplings. This is a direct potential-level illustration of power counting in quantum field theory and renormalizability.