Vacuum zero point energy of self-interacting quantum fields in dS background

Abstract

We consider self-interacting scalar fields with a conformal coupling in the dS background and study the quantum corrections from bubble loop diagrams. Incorporating the perturbative in-in formalism, we calculate the quantum corrections in the vacuum zero point energy and pressure of self-interacting fields with the potential $V \propto \Phi^n $ for even values of $n$. We calculate the equation of state corresponding to these quantum corrections and examine the scaling of the divergent terms in the vacuum zero point energy and pressure associated to the dimensional regularization scheme. In particular, we show that for quartic self-interacting scalar field the conformal invariance is respected at two-loop order at the conformal point.