Consider a Euclidean path integral say in a real scalar field theory.
∫d[ϕ]exp(−I[ϕ])
In the semiclassical approximation we consider stationary points of the action, and expand around them. Now, consider I want to make a semiclassical expansion of the generating functional
Z[J]=∫d[ϕ]exp(−I[ϕ]−∫d4xJϕ)
I have a doubt, should I consider saddles of
I of all the sourced action?
IJ[ϕ]≡I[ϕ]+∫d4xJϕ
Naively i would guess that I gotta take the saddles of the whole exponent, but
my biggest concern then is that if I take saddles of the sourced action, the stationary field configurations will in general have
J dependence, and thus after expanding the action around these stationary points
ϕs, taking functional derivatives of
Z with respect to
J will be very dirty since I will have
J dependence in every place I have a
ϕs.
So, saddles of the sourced or the unsourced action?