Dual vortex theory of strongly interacting electrons: A non-Fermi liquid with a twist

As discovered in the quantum Hall effect, a Very effective way for strongly repulsive electrons to minimize their potential energy is to aquire nonzer o relative angular momentum. We pursue this mechanism for interacting two-d imensional electrons in zero magnetic field, by employing a representation of the electrons as composite bosons interacting with a Chem-Simons gauge f ield. This enables us to construct a dual description in which the fundamen tal constituents are vortices in the auxiliary boson fields. The resulting formalism embraces a cornucopia of possible phases. Remarkably, superconduc tivity is a generic feature, while the Fermi liquid is not. We identify a d ual ZZ symmetry which, when broken (unbroken), leads to spin-charge confine ment (separation). Many aspects of our earlier discussions of the nodal liq uid find surprising incarnations in this new framework.