Antiferromagnetism and tightly bound Cooper pairs induced by kinetic frustration

Abstract

Antiferromagnetism and superconductivity are often viewed as competing orders in correlated electron systems. Here, we demonstrate that kinetic frustration in hole motion facilitates their coexistence within the square-lattice repulsive Hubbard model. Combining exact analytical solutions on tailored geometries with large-scale numerical simulations, we reveal a robust pairing mechanism: Holes on opposite sublattices behave as if they carry opposite effective charges due to spin singlet formation from kinetic frustration. This emergent property suppresses phase separation and fosters a coherent d -wave superconducting channel embedded within a long-range antiferromagnetic background. Our findings establish a minimal yet broadly applicable framework for stabilizing strong-coupling superconductivity in doped Mott insulators.