Big fast vortices in the d-wave resonating valence bond theory of high-temperature superconductivity

Abstract

The effect of proximity to a Mott insulating phase on the superflow properties of a d-wave superconductor is studied using the slave-boson U(1)-gauge-theory model. The model has two limits corresponding to superconductivity emerging either out of a “renormalized Fermi-liquid” or out of a non-Fermi-liquid regime. Three crucial physical parameters are identified: the size of the vortex as determined from the supercurrent it induces, the coupling of the superflow to the quasiparticles, and the “nondissipative time derivative” term. As the Mott phase is approached, the core size as defined from the supercurrent diverges, the coupling between superflow and quasiparticles vanishes, and the magnitude of the nondissipative time derivative dramatically increases. The dissipation due to a moving vortex is found to vary as the third power of the doping. The upper critical field and the size of the critical regime in which paraconductivity may be observed are estimated and found to be controlled by the supercurrent length scale.

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