Possible vortex splitting in high-temperature cuprate superconductors

We propose that the observed splitting of the vortices in the cuprates into fractional vortices (partons) may be of static rather than of dynamic origin. This interpretation is backed by a study of a model with a dominant d-wave and subdominant s-wave pairing interaction. We find that the vortex may split into two partons, both of which carry one-half of the magnetic flux quantum. The partons are held together by a confining string along which the phase jumps approximately by pi and their equilibrium distance increases with lowering the energy difference epsilon between the pairing states. The partons become deconfined at the critical point where epsilon vanishes.