Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2004 iii Paper 47 3 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
Use the mostly-minus Minkowski metric, quantum field theory propagator and dimensionally continued interaction , with . Take all four external momenta incoming, so , and set , , .
The three one-loop one-particle-irreducible Feynman diagrams are the bubble graphs with external pairings , and . Their external quantum field theory propagators are omitted by amputation. Each Feynman diagram has symmetry factor from exchanging the two internal lines; the fixed external labels are already accounted for by the three distinct channels.
For a channel carrying momentum , its amplitude isThe signs in the last equality follow from the two vertices and two quantum field theory propagators. Apply the Feynman parameter identityAfter shifting the loop momentum, the denominator is , with . For positive Euclidean , Wick rotation and the Schwinger representation giveAnalytic continuation to physical momenta keeps the prescription . Thus dimensional regularization evaluates the channel asUse and expand the other factors. The minimal-subtraction scalar four-point bubble channels result through the finite part isThe parameter integral is left unevaluated, as requested. The three channel contributions are . Their pole is momentum independent and is cancelled by the four-point counterterm , withAfter pure minimal subtraction scheme subtraction, the complete vertex through one loop is the tree vertex plusHere the limit has been taken. The modified minimal subtraction scheme would also absorb ; it is not identical to the specified pure MS finite part.
The bare coupling is scale independent and satisfiesWriting and differentiating at fixed givesAt order , the finite coefficient is , so the one-loop quartic scalar beta function isThe factor two relative to the pole residue follows from using . With the residue doubles, but the four-dimensional beta function is unchanged.
For pure nonabelian gauge theory, the corresponding pure Yang-Mills one-loop beta function has the opposite sign:Gauge-boson self-interactions and the gauge-consistency ghost contributions give antiscreening. For a compact nonabelian simple factor , the coupling decreases at high energy: asymptotic freedom. In contrast, positive scalar increases toward the ultraviolet. Its one-loop extrapolation has a Landau pole, indicating breakdown of weak-coupling perturbation theory, not a proof by itself of nonperturbative triviality. Ultraviolet poles should be extracted at infrared-safe mass or nonexceptional kinematics; a scaleless massless zero-momentum integral cannot be used to read off this ultraviolet counterterm without separating its infrared behavior.
