Tuning the electronic and the crystalline structure of LaBi by pressure

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.