Non-Perturbative Dynamics, Pair Condensation, Confinement and Dynamical Masses in Massless QED2+1

Abstract

Quantum electrodynamics in three spacetime dimensions, with one massless fermion species, is studied using a non-perturbative variational approach. Quantization of the theory follows Dirac's Hamiltonian procedure, with a gauge invariant factorization of the physical degrees of freedom. Due to pair condensation in the vacuum state, the symmetry of parity is spontaneously broken. As a consequence, fermionic quasi-particles propagating in the condensate can be identified and are seen to possess a confining dynamical mass, while the propagating physical electromagnetic mode also acquires a non-vanishing dynamical mass. The issues of gauge invariance and confinement of the constituent fermions are carefully discussed.