Symmetry-Enforced Fermi Surfaces
Phys. Rev. Lett. 136, 176502 – Published 29 April, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/wpdt-4t1c
Abstract
We identify a symmetry that enforces every symmetric model to have a Fermi surface. These symmetry-enforced Fermi surfaces are realizations of a powerful form of symmetry-enforced gaplessness. The symmetry we construct exists in quantum lattice fermion models on a -dimensional Bravais lattice, and is generated by the on-site U(1) fermion number symmetry and non-on-site Majorana translation symmetry. The resulting symmetry group is a noncompact Lie group closely related to the Onsager algebra. For a symmetry-enforced Fermi surface , we show that this UV symmetry group always includes the subgroup of the ersatz Fermi liquid symmetry group formed by even functions with . Furthermore, we comment on the topology of these symmetry-enforced Fermi surfaces, proving they generically exhibit at least two noncontractible components (i.e., open orbits).