Chord Diagrams and BPHZ Subtractions

The combinatorics of the BPHZ subtraction scheme for a class of ladder graphs for the three-point vertex in φ3 theory is transcribed into certain connectivity relations for marked chord diagrams (knots with transversal intersections). The resolution of the singular crossings using the equivalence relations in these examples provides confirmation of a proposed fundamental relationship between knot theory and renormalization in perturbative quantum field theory.