Trimer classical spin liquid from interacting fractional charges

Phys. Rev. B 100, 134415 (2019) We study a problem of interacting fractional charges with $J_1$-$J_2$-$J_3$ Ising model on a checkerboard lattice under magnetic field. As a result of the interplay between repulsive interactions and particle density tuning by magnetic field, the fractional charges form a classical spin liquid (CSL) phase. The CSL phase is composed of degenerate spin configurations, which can be mapped to the trimer covering of dual square lattice. The CSL state shows macroscopic ground-state entropy, implying the emergence of novel quantum spin liquid phase when quantum fluctuations are turned on. In addition to the CSL phase, the system exhibits multiple magnetization plateaus, reflecting the fertile screening processes of dimer-monomer mixtures.