Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2014 / iii / Paper 44 / 3

Fix the sign convention by taking the proper two-point insertion to be $i\Sigma (/p)$. This convention matches the loop expression and mass conversion printed later. Dyson resummation of successive fermion self-energy insertions givesThe subscript denotes the renormalized self-energy. If the insertion is instead named $-i{\Sigma }_{\mathrm{usual}}$, then ${\Sigma }_{\mathrm{usual}}=-{\Sigma }_R$ and the denominator is written $/p-m-{\Sigma }_{\mathrm{usual}}$. These are the same physical convention.

Lorentz covariance allows ${\Sigma }_R=\mathcal{A}(p^2)/p+\mathcal{B}(p^2)m$. The physical mass-shell condition isIt locates the mass-shell singularity of the Dirac propagator. In infrared-regulated perturbation theory this is the pole mass; near a simple pole the quantum field theory propagator has the form $i{Z}_{\mathrm{pole}}(/p+m_{\mathrm{phys}})/(p^2-m_{\mathrm{phys}}^2+i0)$. The mass and pole residue are different quantities: the former fixes the singularity's location, the latter the field normalization. The calculation below uses this standard perturbative pole-mass definition.

An on-shell renormalization scheme fixes the mass parameter at the physical pole mass and fixes the renormalized field by the chosen pole residue. Its counterterms include finite contributions needed to enforce those conditions. A coupling is likewise defined by a specified physical amplitude or mass-shell condition.

The minimal subtraction scheme removes only poles in the dimensional regulator. The modified minimal subtraction scheme, which is the overbarred scheme in the PDF, removes the accompanying universal combination $\log 4\pi -{\gamma }_E$ as well. In $D=4-ϵ$, the one-loop subtraction is proportional toA subtraction-scheme mass is a running parameter and generally differs from the physical mass. Finite redefinitions relate the schemes while leaving physical quantities unchanged. The overbar is essential for the stated finite formula in part (d).

The divergent part follows from the elementary integrals ${\int }_0^{1}xdx=1/2$ and ${\int }_0^{1}dx=1$:Thus a wave-function counterterm and a mass counterterm are required. Write their contribution asIn the insertion convention of part (a), the inverse Dirac propagator receives $\delta Z_2/p-\delta m_{\mathrm{coeff}}$. With $\kappa =e^2/(8{\pi }^2ϵ)$, cancellation requiresTo distinguish the coefficient counterterm from the multiplicative mass renormalization, write $m_0=Z_{m}m$ and ${\psi }_0=Z_2^{1/2}\psi$. Then $\delta m_{\mathrm{coeff}}=m(\delta Z_2+\delta Z_m)$ at this order, giving $\delta Z_m=-3\kappa$. In modified minimal subtraction, replace $\kappa$ by $e^2{\Delta }_{\overline{\mathrm{MS}}}/(16{\pi }^2)$. No new derivative structure is needed for this two-point divergence; charge and photon counterterms are determined from other functions.

After modified minimal subtraction, the surviving logarithm in the given fermion self-energy is $\log [{\mu }^2/((1-x)(m^2-p^{2}x))]$. For a one-loop mass shift, set $p^2=m^2$ and let $/p$ act as $m$ on an on-shell spinor inside that correction; changing these arguments by the mass shift contributes only at order $e^4$. ThusThe needed integrals areFor the second, put $u=1-x$ and use ${\int }_0^1\log udu=-1$ and ${\int }_0^{1}u\log udu=-1/4$. ConsequentlyThe pole mass condition $m_{\mathrm{phys}}-m+{\Sigma }_R=0$ gives $m_{\mathrm{phys}}=m[1+e^2(5+3\log ({\mu }^2/m^2))/(16{\pi }^2)]+O(e^4)$. Invert this relation and replace $m$ by $m_{\mathrm{phys}}$ inside the already one-loop term to obtainThe negative sign in the running-mass conversion follows from the explicitly chosen self-energy convention. Subtracting poles alone, instead of the overbarred combination, would leave additional $\log 4\pi -{\gamma }_E$ terms.