Dynamics of the 2D two-component plasma near the Kosterlitz-Thouless transition

We study the dynamics of a classical, two-component plasma in two dimension s, in the vicinity of the Kosterlitz-Thouless (KT) transition where the sys tem passes from a dielectric low-temperature phase (consisting of bound pai rs) to a conducting phase. We use two "complementary" analytical approaches and compare to simulations. The conventional, "intuitive" approach is buil t on the KT picture of independently relaxing, bound pairs. A more formal a pproach, working with Mori projected dynamic correlation functions, avoids to assume the pair picture from the start. We discuss successes and failure s of both approaches, and suggest a way to combine the advantages of both.