Charge and spin inhomogeneity as a key to the physics of the high-T-c cuprates

We present a coherent scenario for the physics of cuprate superconductors, which is based on a charge-driven inhomogeneity, i.e. the "stripe phase". W e show that spin and charge critical fluctuations near the stripe instabili ty of strongly correlated electron systems provide an effective interaction between the quasiparticles, which is strongly momentum, frequency, tempera ture and doping dependent, This accounts for the various phenomena occurrin g in the overdoped, optimally and underdoped regimes both for the normal an d the superconducting phase, (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights rese rved.