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Abstract

Gauge theories which have a phase transition could be useful in the study of quark confinement. One of the simplest theories containing a phase transition is the Coleman-Weinberg model of massless scalar electrodynamics. The calculation of the renormalized effective potential for the Coleman-Weinberg model is reviewed in detail using the path integral formalism. The effective potential is evaluated at the one-loop level to show that the model exhibits dynamical symmetry breaking at zero temperature. The divergent parts are shown to be renormalizable to two-loop order. The temperature dependence of the effective potential is then calculated to one-loop in order to demonstrate that the symmetry of the model is restored at high temperature, indicating a phase transition. Finally, for models which exhibit this type of behaviour, applications to SU(n) theories of quarks are discussed.