Frustration and correlations in stacked triangular-lattice Ising antiferromagnets

Abstract

We study multilayer triangular lattice Ising antiferromagnets with interlayer interactions that are weak and frustrated in an abc stacking. By analysing a coupled height model description of these systems, we show that they exhibit a classical spin liquid regime at low temperature, in which both intralayer and interlayer correlations are strong but there is no long range order. Diffuse scattering in this regime is concentrated on a helix in reciprocal space, as observed for charge-ordering in the materials LuFe$_2$O$_4$ and YbFe$_2$O$_4$.