Nearest-neighbour Attraction Stabilizes Staggered Currents in the 2D Hubbard Model

Using a strong-coupling approach, we show that staggered current vorticity does not obtain in the repulsive 2D Hubbard model for large on-site Coulomb interactions, as in the case of the copper oxide superconductors. This trend also persists even when nearest-neighbour repulsions are present. However, staggered flux ordering emerges {\bf only} when attractive nearest-neighbour Coulomb interactions are included. Such ordering opens a gap along the $(\pi,0)-(0,\pi)$ direction and persists over a reasonable range of doping.