MESON LOOPS IN THE NAMBU-JONA-LASINIO MODEL

The effects of meson loops in the vacuum sector of the Nambu-Jona-Lasi nio model are calculated. Using the effective action formalism we take consistently all next-to-leading-order 1/N-c terms into account. This leads to a symmetry-conserving approach, in which all features of spo ntaneously broken chiral symmetry, such as the Goldstone theorem, the Goldberger-Treiman and the Gell-Mann-Oakes-Renner relations are preser ved. Contributions to [(q) over bar q] and F-pi are calculated, and ar e shown to be substantial, at the level of similar to 30%, consistent with the 1/N-c expansion. The leading non-analytic terms in the chiral expansion of [(p) over bar q], F-pi and m(pi) have the same form as t he one-loop results of chiral perturbation theory.