Theory of an unusual metal–insulator transition in layered high- Tc cuprates

Abstract

A theory is proposed describing the metal–insulator transition in layered cuprates, based on the experimental observation that the Fermi surface in the metallic phase remains large down to the transition. It is established that the transition is of the second order at small dopings and of the first order at larger ones. The role of impurity scattering is analyzed. The model provides explanations of the recently observed phenomenon in the metallic phase: formation of antiferromagnetic “bubbles” around nonmagnetic impurities.