Theory of the Spin Gap in High Temperature Superconductors

We analyze pairing in two dimensional spin liquids. We argue that interplane pairing enhanced by magnetic correlations is the most plausible explanation of the spin gap phenomenon observed in underdoped cuprates. The details of the pairing theory depend on the in-plane antiferromagnetic correlations. We consider two models: $2p_F$ correlations induced by a strong gauge field interaction and undamped spin waves. We estimate the pairing temperature $T_s$ and the angular dependence of the gap function and discuss physical consequences.