Theoretical study of the pressure-induced topological phase transition in LaSb

By using first-principles electronic structure calculations, we find that material LaSb with extreme magnetoresistance (XMR) undergoes a topological phase transition without breaking any symmetry under a hydrostatic pressure applied between 3 and 4 GPa; meanwhile, the electron-hole compensation remains in its electronic band structure. This makes LaSb an ideal platform for studying what role the topological property plays in the XMR phenomenon, in addition to the electron-hole compensation.