We analyze the possibility of dynamical breakdown of parity in three-dimensional QED. We find that for an even number of fermions only chiral symmetry is broken dynamically while parity is conserved. For an odd number of fermions, where a parity-conserving mass generation is not possible, we find no consistent nontrivial solution for the Schwinger-Dyson equations, leading us to conjecture that at least one fermion remains massless and no mass is induced for the photon in this case.

• Received 5 March 1986

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.34.1194