Weak power-counting theorem for the renormalization of the nonlinear sigma model in four dimensions

The formulation of the non linear sigma-model in terms of flat connection allows the construction of a perturbative solution of a local functional equation by means of cohomological techniques which are implemented in gauge theories. In this paper we discuss some properties of the solution at the one-loop level in D= 4. We prove the validity of a weak power-counting theorem in the following form: although the number of divergent amplitudes is infinite only a finite number of counterterms parameters have to be introduced in the effective action in order to make the theory finite at one loop, while respecting the functional equation (fully symmetric subtraction in the cohomological sense). The proof uses the linearized functional equation of which we provide the general solution in terms of local functionals. The counterterms are expressed in terms of linear combinations of these invariants and the coefficients are fixed by a finite number of divergent amplitudes. These latter amplitudes contain only insertions of the composite operators phi(0) (the constraint of the non linear sigma-model) and F (mu) (the flat connection). The structure of the functional equation suggests a hierarchy of the Green functions. In particular once the amplitudes for the composite operators phi(0) and F (mu) are given all the others can be derived by functional derivatives. In this paper we show that at one loop the renormalization of the theory is achieved by the subtraction of divergences of the amplitudes at the top of the hierarchy. As an example we derive the counterterms for the four-point amplitudes.