Exact mass-dependent two-loop αs (Q2) in the background MOM renormalization scheme Original Research Article

A two-loop calculation of the renormalization group β-function in a momentum subtraction scheme with massive quarks is presented using the background field formalism. The results have been obtained by using a set of new generalized recurrence relations proposed recently by one of the authors (O.V.T.). The behavior of the mass-dependent effective coupling constant is investigated in detail. Compact analytic results are presented.