Regularization in quantum field theory

Regularization modifies divergent loop integrals by introducing an auxiliary parameter. The regulator is removed after its dependence has been absorbed into counterterms.

An ultraviolet divergence comes from arbitrarily large loop momentum, equivalently from singular short-distance behavior. Locality makes its regulator dependence cancellable by local counterterms in a renormalizable theory.

An ultraviolet subdivergence arises when loop momenta internal to a proper subgraph tend to infinity while the momenta entering that subgraph are held fixed. It can occur even if simultaneous scaling of all momenta of the full Feynman diagram is convergent. Recursive local counterterms subtract these subgraph divergences before the remaining overall divergence is analyzed. A tadpole diagram inserted into an otherwise convergent six-point phi-fourth theory Feynman diagram is a simple massive example.

Cutoff regularization restricts loop momenta to $|\ell |<\Lambda$. The ultraviolet cutoff $\Lambda$ makes individual integrals finite while displaying power and logarithmic ultraviolet divergences explicitly.

Dimensional regularization analytically continues loop integrals from an integer spacetime dimension to $d=d_0-ϵ$. Ultraviolet logarithms then appear as poles in $1/ϵ$.

For $m^2>0$ and $n>d/2$, Schwinger parameterization and a Gaussian integral give $I_{d,n}(m)=\int d^{d}k(2\pi {)}^{-d}(k^2+m^2{)}^{-n}=\Gamma (n-d/2)(m^2{)}^{d/2-n}/[(4\pi {)}^{d/2}\Gamma (n)]$. Its meromorphic continuation supplies dimensional regularization poles.

For positive $m^2$, a Feynman parameter and a momentum shift turn the integral into ${\int }_0^1{I}_{d,2}(\sqrt{m^2+x(1-x)p^2})dx$. The Euclidean massive loop integral has factor $\Gamma (ϵ/2)=2/ϵ+O(1)$, while its other factors tend to $(4\pi {)}^{-2}$. The pole is independent of the external momentum and the mass, so it is removable by a local counterterm.

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.

The modified minimal subtraction scheme removes the dimensional pole together with the universal constants conventionally grouped as $-\gamma +\log 4\pi$. This simplifies renormalization-group formulas while differing from minimal subtraction only by finite parameter redefinitions.