Two-loop QCD corrections of the massive fermion propagator

The off-shell two-loop correction to the massive quark propagator in an arb itrary covariant gauge is calculated and results for the bare and renormali zed propagator are presented. The calculations were performed by means of a set of new generalized recurrence relations proposed recently by one of th e authors [Nucl. Phys, B 502 (1997) 455], From the position of the pole of the renormalized propagator we obtain the relationship between the pole mas s and the <(MS)over bar> mass. This relation confirms the known result by G ray et al. [Z, Phys. C 48 (1990) 673; C 52 (1991) ill], The bare amplitudes are given for an arbitrary gauge group and for arbitrary space-time dimens ions. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V.