Minimal subtraction scheme ($\mathrm{MS}$ scheme)

The minimal subtraction scheme chooses counterterms that remove only the poles in the dimensional regulator $ϵ$, without additional finite terms.

In the minimal subtraction scheme, let ${\lambda }_B={\mu }^{ϵ}F$, $F=\lambda +{\sum }_{k\ge 1}{f}_k(\lambda )/{ϵ}^k$, and $m_B^2=m^{2}H$, $H=1+{\sum }_{k\ge 1}{b}_k(\lambda )/{ϵ}^k$. Define the renormalization-group beta function at fixed bare parameters by $\hat{\beta }=\mu d\lambda /d\mu =-ϵ\lambda +\beta (\lambda )$, and the running mass function by ${\gamma }_{m^2}=\mu d\log m^2/d\mu$.

The bare coupling is scale independent, so $0=ϵF+\hat{\beta }{F}^{\prime }$. Its finite coefficient is $f_1+\beta -\lambda f_1^{\prime }$, giving the first formula. Similarly $0={\gamma }_{m^2}H+\hat{\beta }{H}^{\prime }$ has finite coefficient ${\gamma }_{m^2}-\lambda b_1^{\prime }$. The remaining poles cancel recursively: $(\lambda {\partial }_{\lambda }-1)f_{k+1}=\beta f_k^{\prime }$ and $\lambda b_{k+1}^{\prime }={\gamma }_{m^2}{b}_k+\beta b_k^{\prime }$. Thus the simple poles determine the finite renormalization group functions, while higher poles obey consistency conditions.

With ${\beta }_0=-ϵg_0$, the chain rule gives $\beta (g)={\beta }_{0}dg/d{g}_0$. Inverting the displayed coupling expansion yields $g_0=g-a_1{g}^2/ϵ+(2a_1^2-b_1)g^3/{ϵ}^2$. Substitution gives $\beta =-ϵg-a_1{g}^2+2(a_1^2-b_1)g^3/ϵ+O(g^4)$, so finiteness requires the displayed double-pole condition. An omitted simple-pole term $c_1{g}_0^3/ϵ$ supplies a finite $-2c_1{g}^3$ term; higher-pole consistency does not by itself determine the finite two-loop beta function.