Role of fermionic statistics in the emergence of intertwined phases

Determine the extent to which fermionic particle statistics, as opposed to the competition between kinetic motion of doped holes and antiferromagnetic superexchange interactions, drive the emergence of intertwined phases in two-dimensional doped Mott insulators described by the Fermi-Hubbard model and related t-J models.

Background

The paper situates the antiferromagnetic bosonic t-J model within the broader context of doped Mott insulators, where the Fermi-Hubbard and related t-J models are believed to capture essential low-energy physics of high-temperature superconductors. Despite advances from large-scale numerical simulations, there remains uncertainty about the specific contribution of fermionic particle statistics to the appearance of complex, intertwined phases in these systems.

To address this, the authors explore the bosonic analogue—an antiferromagnetic bosonic t-J model—using DMRG to map its phase diagram. By disentangling particle statistics from strong-correlation effects, their results aim to clarify which features (such as stripe formation and kinetic ferromagnetism) may arise independently of fermionic statistics. The open question highlights a fundamental ambiguity in attributing the origin of emergent phases to statistics versus interaction-driven competition.