  We develop a slave-boson theory for the t-J model at finite doping which
respect a SU(2) symmetry -- a symmetry previously known to be important at half
filling. The mean field phase diagram is found to be consistent with the phases
observed in the cuprate superconductors, which contains d-wave superconductor,
spin gap, strange metal, and Fermi liquid phases. The spin gap phase is best
understood as the staggered flux phase, which is nevertheless translationally
invariant for physical quantities. The physical electron spectral function
shows small Fermi segments at low doping which continuously evolve into the
large Fermi surface at high doping concentrations. The close relation between
the SU(2) and the U(1) slave-boson theory is discussed. The low energy
effective theory for the low lying fluctuations is derived, and new lying modes
(which were over looked in the U(1) theory) are identified.
