Scattering and pairing by exchange interactions

Abstract Quantum interactions exchanging different types of particles play a pivotal rôle in quantum many-body theory, but they are not sufficiently investigated from a mathematical perspective. Here, we consider a system made of two fermions and one boson, in order to study the effect of such an off-diagonal interaction term, having in mind the physics of cuprate superconductors. Additionally, our model also includes a generalized Hubbard interaction (i.e., a general local repulsion term for the fermions). Regarding pairing, exponentially localized dressed bound fermion pairs are shown to exist, and their effective dispersion relation is studied in detail. Scattering properties of the system are derived for two channels: the unbound and bound pair channels. We give particular attention to the regime of very large on-site (Hubbard) repulsions because this situation is relevant for cuprate superconductors.