Physical properties of fcc lanthanum under pressure

The authors report here a theoretical calculation of band structure and superconductivity in the fcc phase of lanthanum under pressure. The effect of pressure on the band structure is obtained by means of the linear muffin-tin orbital method. McMillan's formula is used to calculate the superconducting transition temperature (Tc). It is found that the value of Tc increases continuously up to 17.8 GPa and then begins to decrease. The change in the slope of Tc is attributed to the appearance of a new piece of Fermi surface. The calculated values of Tc are compared with the available experimental data