Tuning the electronic and the crystalline structure of LaBi by pressure

TL;DR

This study investigates how applying pressure affects LaBi's electronic and crystal structure, revealing a transition from extreme magnetoresistance to superconductivity and a structural phase change.

Contribution

It demonstrates the pressure-induced suppression of XMR, emergence of superconductivity, and structural transition in LaBi, linking these phenomena.

Findings

XMR disappears at 3.5 GPa coinciding with superconductivity onset

Structural transition from face-centered cubic to tetragonal at 11 GPa

Superconductivity correlates with increased zero-field resistance

Abstract

Extreme magnetoresistance (XMR) in topological semimetals is a recent discovery which attracts attention due to its robust appearance in a growing number of materials. To search for a relation between XMR and superconductivity, we study the effect of pressure on LaBi taking advantage of its simple structure and simple composition. By increasing pressure we observe the disappearance of XMR followed by the appearance of superconductivity at P=3.5 GPa.The suppression of XMR is correlated with increasing zero-field resistance instead of decreasing in-field resistance. At higher pressures, P=11 GPa, we find a structural transition from the face center cubic lattice to a primitive tetragonal lattice in agreement with theoretical predictions. We discuss the relationship between extreme magnetoresistance, superconductivity, and structural transition in LaBi.