Algebraic Birkhoff decomposition and its applications

Central in the Hopf algebra approach to the renormalization of perturbative quantum field theory of Connes and Kreimer is their Algebraic Birkhoff Decomposition. In this tutorial article, we introduce their decomposition and prove it by the Atkinson Factorization in Rota-Baxter algebra. We then give some applications of this decomposition in the study of divergent integrals and multiple zeta values.