Analytic Invariant Charge in QCD

Abstract

This paper gives an overview of recently developed model for the QCD analytic invariant charge. Its underlying idea is to bring the analyticity condition, which follows from the general principles of local Quantum Field Theory, in perturbative approach to renormalization group (RG) method. The concrete realization of the latter consists in explicit imposition of analyticity requirement on the perturbative expansion of $\beta$ function for the strong running coupling, with subsequent solution of the corresponding RG equation. In turn, this allows one to avoid the known difficulties originated in perturbative approximation of the RG functions. Ultimately, the proposed approach results in qualitatively new properties of the QCD invariant charge. The latter enables one to describe a wide range of the strong interaction processes both of perturbative and intrinsically nonperturbative nature.Comment: Invited review article; 46 pages, 14 EPS figure