Fermi Surface of Metallic V$_2$O$_3$ from Angle-Resolved Photoemission: Mid-level Filling of $e_g^{pi}$ Bands

Using angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) we report the first band dispersions and distinct features of the bulk Fermi surface (FS) in the paramagnetic metallic phase of the prototypical metal-insulator transition material V$_2$O$_3$. Along the $c$-axis we observe both an electron pocket and a triangular hole-like FS topology, showing that both V 3$d$ $a_{1g}$ and $e_g^{pi}$ states contribute to the FS. These results challenge the existing correlation-enhanced crystal field splitting theoretical explanation for the transition mechanism and pave the way for the solution of this mystery.