Broken chiral symmetry in 2+1 quantum electrodynamics at finite temperature

An extension of the T = 0 theory based on the nonperturbative gauge technique is used to investigate broken chiral symmetry in standard Quantum Electrodynamics in 2 + 1 space at finite temperatures. We employ a simple Linearizing approximation of the Dyson-Schwinger equation to show that chiral-symmetry breaking prevails for a range of temperatures. We are also able to demonstrate that the theory exhibits a transition to a massless phase at a temperature given by the infrared regulator mass. The indication of a phase transition is borne out by a detailed analysis of the solution to the approximate gap equation for the dynamical electron mass.