The Electronic Structure and Superconductivity of the High T sub c Copper Oxides.

The electronic structure and possible superconductivity mechanisms of the new high T sub c copper oxides are discussed. The conventional band picture is contrasted with the localized orbital Mott-Hubbard picture for the electronic groundstate. The nature of quasiparticles introduced by doping of the insulating parent compounds depends on assumptions made for the underlying groundstate. Possible pairing mechanisms of these particles that have been proposed to lead to high temperature superconductivity are analyzed.