The use of the minimal subtraction scheme in electroweak theories

When calculated in perturbation theory, renormalized coupling constants and masses defined in the minimal subtraction (MS) scheme depend on the unit of mass μ, and they are not in general equal to their corresponding physical quantities. This feature inherent to the MS scheme is discussed in QED and in the Weinberg-Salam model. The relations between the MS-renormalized weak boson masses and their physical values are obtained, which are important in the precise determination of the W and Z masses. Also briefly discussed are the convergence property of perturbation series and the heavy particle decoupling in the MS scheme. (orig.)