  For the O(N) field theory with lambda Phi^4 self-coupling, we construct the
two-particle-irreducible (2PI), closed-time-path (CTP) effective action in a
general curved spacetime. From this we derive a set of coupled equations for
the mean field and the variance. They are useful for studying the
nonperturbative, nonequilibrium dynamics of a quantum field when full back
reactions of the quantum field on the curved spacetime, as well as the
fluctuations on the mean field, are required. Applications to phase transitions
in the early Universe such as the Planck scale or in the reheating phase of
chaotic inflation are under investigation.

General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology;High Energy Physics - Phenomenology