Gauge invariant derivative expansion of the effective action at finite temperature and density and the scalar field in 2+1 dimensions -: art. no. 045016

A method is presented for the computation of the one-loop effective action at finite temperature and density. The method is based on an expansion in the number of spatial covariant derivatives. It applies to general background field configurations with an arbitrary internal symmetry group and space-time dependence. Full invariance under small and large gauge transformations is preserved without assuming stationary or Abelian fields or fixing the gauge. The method is applied to the computation of the effective action of spin zero particles in 2 + 1 dimensions at finite temperature and density and in the presence of background gauge fields. The calculation is carried out through second order in the number of spatial covariant derivatives. Some limiting cases are worked out.