English

Electron fractionalization and cuprate superconductivity

Strongly Correlated Electrons 2007-05-23 v1 Superconductivity

Abstract

We discuss the possibility that the electron may be fractionalized in some quantum phases of matter in two or higher dimensions. We review the theory of such phases, and show that their effective theory is a Z2Z_2 gauge theory. These phases may be characterized theoretically through the notion of topological order. We discuss the appeal of fractionalization ideas for building theories of the cuprates, and possible ways of testing these ideas.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.cond-mat/0105104,
  title  = {Electron fractionalization and cuprate superconductivity},
  author = {T. Senthil},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:cond-mat/0105104},
  year   = {2007}
}

Comments

18 pages, 2 figures. Review-type article to appear in special 75'th anniversary issue of the Indian Journal of Physics