Determination of quark masses from nf=4 lattice QCD and the RI- SMOM intermediate scheme

We determine the charm and strange quark masses in the (MS) over bar scheme, using n(f) = 2 +1 + 1 lattice QCD calculations with highly improved staggered quarks and the regularization-independent symmetric momentum-subtraction intermediate scheme to connect the bare lattice quark masses to continuum renormalization schemes. Our study covers the analysis of systematic uncertainties from this method, including nonperturbative artifacts and the impact of the nonzero physical sea quark masses. We find m(c)((MS) over bar) (3 GeV) = 0.9896(61) GeV and m(s)((MS) over bar) (3 GeV) = 0.08536(85) GeV, where the uncertainties are dominated by the tuning of the bare lattice quark masses. These results are consistent with, and of similar accuracy to, those using the current-current correlator approach coupled to high-order continuum QCD perturbation theory, implemented in the same quark formalism and on the same gauge field configurations. This provides a strong test of the consistency of methods for determining the quark masses to high precision from lattice QCD. We also give updated lattice QCD world averages for c and s quark masses.