Manifestations of quantum gravity in scalar QED phenomena.

Abstract

Quantum gravitational corrections to the effective potential, at one-loop level and in the leading-log approximation, for scalar quantum electrodynamics with higher-derivative gravity ---which is taken as an effective theory for quantum gravity (QG)--- are calculated. We point out the appearence of relevant phenomena caused by quantum gravity, like dimensional transmutation, QG-driven instabilities of the potential, QG corrrections to scalar-to-vector mass ratios, and curvature-induced phase transitions, whose existence is shown by means of analytical and numerical study.