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Abstract

In this work, quantum corrections to classical equations of motion are investigated for dynamical models of dark energy featuring a time-evolving quintessence scalar field. Employing effective quantum field theory, the robustness of tracker quintessence potentials against quantum corrections as well as their impact on cosmological observables are discussed. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that a rolling quintessence field can also play an important role for baryogenesis in the early universe. The macroscopic time-evolution of scalar quantum fields can be described from first principles within nonequilibrium quantum field theory based on Kadanoff-Baym equations derived from the 2PI effective action. A framework for the nonperturbative renormalization of Kadanoff-Baym equations is provided. Renormalized Kadanoff-Baym equations are proposed and their finiteness is shown for a special case.