Gauge covariance and the fermion-photon vertex in three- and four-dimensional, massless quantum electrodynamics

Journal Article · Tue Jun 15 04:00:00 EDT 1993 · Physical Review, D (Particles Fields); (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.47.5581· OSTI ID:6498723

Burden, C J ^[1]; Roberts, C D ^[2]

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1. Department of Theoretical Physics, Research School of Physical Sciences Engineering, Australian National University, GPO Box 4, Canberra, ACT 2601 (Australia)
2. Physics Division, Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 South Cass Avenue, Argonne, Illinois 60439-4843 (United States)

In the quenched approximation, the gauge covariance properties of three vertex [ital Ansa]$[ital iuml]---[ital tze] in the Schwinger-Dyson equation for the fermion self-energy are analyzed in three- and four-dimensional quantum electrodynamics. Based on the Cornwall-Jackiw-Tomboulis effective action, it is inferred that the spectral representation used for the vertex in the gauge technique cannot support dynamical chiral symmetry breaking. A criterion for establishing whether a given [ital Ansatz] can confer gauge covariance upon the Schwinger-Dyson equation is presented and the Curtis and Pennington [ital Ansatz] is shown to satisfy this constraint. We obtain an analytic solution of the Schwinger-Dyson equation for quenched, massless three-dimensional quantum electrodynamics for arbitrary values of the gauge parameter in the absence of dynamical chiral symmetry breaking.

• Research Organization: Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL
• DOE Contract Number: W-31109-ENG-38
• OSTI ID: 6498723
• Journal Information: Physical Review, D (Particles Fields); (United States), Journal Name: Physical Review, D (Particles Fields); (United States) Vol. 47:12; ISSN PRVDAQ; ISSN 0556-2821
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

662220* -- Quantum Electrodynamics-- (1992-)
72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS
ANALYTICAL SOLUTION
CHIRAL SYMMETRY
ELECTRODYNAMICS
ENERGY
FERMIONS
FIELD THEORIES
FOUR-DIMENSIONAL CALCULATIONS
GAUGE INVARIANCE
INVARIANCE PRINCIPLES
PROPAGATOR
QUANTUM ELECTRODYNAMICS
QUANTUM FIELD THEORY
SELF-ENERGY
SYMMETRY
SYMMETRY BREAKING
THREE-DIMENSIONAL CALCULATIONS