A perturbative approach to mass-generation - the non-linear sigma model

A calculational scheme is presented to include non-perturbative effects into the perturbation expansion. As an example we use the O(N + 1) sigma model. The scheme uses a natural parametrisation such that the lagrangian can be written in a form normal-ordered with respect to the O(N + 1) symmetric vacuum plus vacuum expectation values, the latter calculated by symmetry alone. Including such expectation values automatically leads to the inclusion of a mass-gap in the perturbation series. (orig.)