Simple metals at high pressures: the Fermi sphere-Brillouin zone interaction model

High-pressure structural transformations are analyzed for simple sp-elements and some binary alloys. The crystal structure stability of these metals depends on the Fermi surface-Brillouin zone interaction. An increase in this interaction with pressure results in transitions to less symmetric and less closely packed structures. A structural similarity is shown to exist between the high-pressure phases for alkali and alkali-earth metals and for polyvalent group IV and V elements. The correlation between the behavior under compression of the structure and the physical properties (resistivity and superconductivity) of these metals is discussed in terms of the Fermi sphere-Brillouin zone interaction model. (reviews of topical problems)