Broken Symmetry in Quantum Electrodynamics and Zero-Mass Bosons

Abstract

The recent attempt of Baker, Johnson and Lee at proving the existence or otherwise of zero-mass bosons in quantum electrodynamics with vanishing bare-electron mass is reexamined. It is argued that the renormalized vertex operator ${{\ensuremath{\Gamma}}_{c}}^{5}$ exists provided that the electron-pseudosclar-boson vertex renormalization constant vanishes. No conclusion about the existence or otherwise of zero-mass bosons can be reached within the framework of their high-energy approximation.