Quantum number towers for the Hubbard and Holstein models (Q2164190)

Summary: In 1989, \textit{E. H. Lieb} published [``Two theorems on the Hubbard model'', Phys. Rev. Lett. 62, No. 10, 1201--1204 (1989; \url{doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.62.1201})] proving two theorems about the Hubbard model. This paper used the concept of spin-reflection positivity to prove that the ground state of the attractive Hubbard model was always a nondegenerate spin singlet and to also prove that the ground state for the repulsive model on a bipartite lattice had spin \(\big{|}|\Lambda_A|-|\Lambda_B|\big{|}/2\), corresponding to the difference in number of lattice sites for the two sublattices. In addition, this work relates to quantum number towers -- where the minimal energy state with a given quantum number, such as spin, or pseudospin, is ordered, according to the spin or pseudospin values. It was followed up in 1995 by a second paper that extended some of these results to the Holstein model (and more general electron-phonon models). These works prove results about the quantum numbers of these many-body models in condensed matter physics and have been very influential. In this chapter, I will discuss the context for these proofs, what they mean, and the remaining open questions related to the original work. In addition, I will briefly discuss some of the additional work that this methodology inspired. For the entire collection see [Zbl 1491.46002].