Simple On-Shell Renormalization Framework for the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa Matrix

We present an explicit on-shell framework to renormalize the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa (CKM) quark mixing matrix at the one-loop level. It is based on a novel procedure to separate the external-leg mixing corrections into gauge-independent self-mass (sm) and gauge-dependent wave-function renormalization contributions, and to adjust non-diagonal mass counterterm matrices to cancel all the divergent sm contributions, and also their finite parts subject to constraints imposed by the hermiticity of the mass matrices. It is also shown that the proof of gauge independence and finiteness of the remaining one-loop corrections to W -> q_i + anti-q_j reduces to that in the unmixed, single-generation case. Diagonalization of the complete mass matrices leads then to an explicit expression for the CKM counterterm matrix, which is gauge independent, preserves unitarity, and leads to renormalized amplitudes that are non-singular in the limit in which any two fermions become mass degenerate.