Renormalization schemes and renormalons

We describe some ways how higher order corrections can reveal themselves if integrated over the infrared region. We show that in different renormalization group (RG) schemes and for some observables one has no factorial divergences. We argue that for treating things in the infrared region it is preferable to start with a RG scheme without the infrared Landau pole in the running coupling constant. The uncertainties for the $\tau$ lepton width resulting from accounting for higher order corrections are discussed.Comment: Latex, 18 pages, two table

Calculating loops without loop calculations: NLO computation of pentaquark correlators

We compute next-to-leading order (NLO) perturbative QCD corrections to the correlators of interpolating pentaquark currents. We employ modular techniques in configuration space which saves us from the onus of having to do loop calculations. The modular technique is explained in some detail. We present explicit NLO results for several interpolating pentaquark currents that have been written down in the literature. Our modular approach is easily adapted to the case of NLO corrections to multiquark correlators with an arbitrary number of quarks/antiquarks.Comment: 23 pages, 1 figure, published version. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:hep-lat/031001

Dynamical masses of quarks in quantum chromodynamics

Using Dyson-Schwinger equations we obtain an ultraviolet asymptotics for the dynamical mass of quark in QCD. We also determine a numerical value for the \pi meson decay constant f_\pi.Comment: Electronic version of the published paper, latex, 4 page

Next-to-Leading Order perturbative QCD corrections to baryon correlators in matter

We compute the next-to-leading order perturbative QCD corrections to the correlators of nucleon interpolating currents in relativistic nuclear matter. The main new result is the calculation of the O(alpha_s) perturbative corrections to the coefficient functions of the vector quark condensate in matter. This condensate appears in matter due to the violation of Lorentz invariance. The NLO perturbative QCD corrections turn out to be large which implies that the NLO corrections must be included in a sum rule analysis of the properties of both bound nucleons and relativistic nuclear matter.Comment: 19 pages in LaTeX, including 5 Postscript figure

Various versions of analytic QCD and skeleton-motivated evaluation of observables

We present skeleton-motivated evaluation of QCD observables. The approach can be applied in analytic versions of QCD in certain classes of renormalization schemes. We present two versions of analytic QCD which can be regarded as low-energy modifications of the ``minimal'' analytic QCD and which reproduce the measured value of the semihadronic tau decay ratio r{tau}. Further, we describe an approach of calculating the higher order analytic couplings Ak (k=2,3,...) on the basis of logarithmic derivatives of the analytic coupling A1(Q^2). This approach can be easily applied in any version of analytic QCD. We adjust the free parameters of the afore-mentioned two analytic models in such a way that the skeleton-motivated evaluation reproduces the correct known values of r{tau} and of the Bjorken polarized sum rule (BjPSR) db(Q^2) at a given point (e.g., at Q^2=2 GeV^2). We then evaluate the low-energy behavior of the Adler function dv(Q^2) and the BjPSR db(Q^2) in the afore-mentioned evaluation approach, in the three analytic versions of QCD. We compare with the results obtained in the ``minimal'' analytic QCD and with the evaluation approach of Milton et al. and Shirkov.Comment: 30 pages, 14 eps-figures; v3: parameters of the analytic QCD models M1 and M2 were refined, the numerical results modified accordingly, new paragraph at the end of Sec.II and at the end of Sec.III, discussion of Figs.4 extended, references added; version to appear in PR