Topological Fermi arc interference on low-symmetry Weyl surfaces
- Cong Li
- Zhilong Yang
- Hongxiong Liu
- Magnus H. Berntsen
- Francesco Scali
- Dibya Phuyal
- Jianfeng Zhang
- Timur K. Kim
- Jacek Osiecki
- Balasubramanian Thiagarajan
- Youguo Shi
- Tao Xiang
- Quansheng Wu
- Oscar Tjernberg
2026-08-13
Topological materials are defined by the correspondence between bulk topology and boundary states, yet this correspondence becomes enigmatic on low-symmetry surfaces where bulk and surface periodicities may not coincide within a conventional first bulk Brillouin zone projection. Here we study the (103) surface of the Weyl semimetal NdAlSi and identify Fermi arc interference in the boundary spectrum. Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy uncovers loop-like Fermi-arc connectivity and characteristic replica modulations that are not observed on high symmetry surfaces. Crucially, the topological surface states themselves are reconstructed because Fermi arcs from phase-shifted bulk-zone projections overlap and hybridize, producing connectivity patterns unique to low-symmetry facets. We show that these emerge from incomplete bulk projection and multi-cell interference governed by a least-common-multiple framework. Least-common-multiple guided density functional theory and Green’s-function calculations reproduce the reconstructed periodicity and dominant replica structure in the spectra, providing a broadly applicable commensuration guideline. These findings resolve the apparent bulk-boundary correspondence paradox on low-symmetry surfaces and provide an operational route to model and interpret boundary spectra on complex facets.