(2+1)-DIMENSIONAL QED WITH A CHERN-SIMONS TERM IN THE LADDER APPROXIMATION

Abstract

We study dynamical chiral symmetry breaking in (2+1)-dimensional QED with a Chern-Simons term. It is observed that the Chern-Simons term improves the infrared behavior of the photon propagator and enables one to investigate chiral symmetry breaking by the ladder Dyson-Schwinger equation without the infrared divergence problem. The model shows the dynamical mass generation only when alpha' > 1/2 and the dynamically generated mass is linearly proportional to the coupling alpha'. We also determine the dynamically generated mass at finite temperature and the critical temperature above which chiral symmetry is restored. The critical line which separates the two phases U(2) and U(1)xU(1) is presented on the (alpha', T') plane.