Electronic topological transition in zinc under shock compression revealed by electrical resistivity measurements

Electronic topological transitions (ETTs) are characterized by abrupt changes in Fermi-surface topology, which can lead to pronounced anomalies in the physical properties of transition metals under high pressure-temperature ($P\ensuremath{-}T$) conditions. Zinc (Zn), a group-IIB transition metal with a fully occupied $3d$ shell and a highly anisotropic hexagonal structure, has been proposed to undergo a Lifshitz-type ETT at \ensuremath{\sim}6--10 GPa. However, its existence and thermodynamic characteristics at high P-T remained unresolved. Here, we investigate the longitudinal sound velocity of Zn up to \ensuremath{\sim}11 GPa and the electrical resistivity up to \ensuremath{\sim}20 GPa and \ensuremath{\sim}430 K under shock compression, using the reverse-impact configuration and four-probe technique, respectively. The sound velocity evolves smoothly with pressure across the investigated range, with no detectable elastic or structural anomalies. In contrast, the electrical resistivity exhibits a notable slope change at 14(1) GPa, followed by a steeper pressure dependence. This anomaly aligns with the pressure-induced ETT identified in static compression studies, but occurs at a higher critical pressure under shock loading. This shift highlights the influence of shock-elevated temperature and dynamic compression in delaying the onset of the transition. The more rapid increase in resistivity within the ETT is attributed to Fermi-surface reconstruction, which modifies band curvature, carrier effective mass, and scattering rates. These results provide strong experimental evidence for the ETT in Zn under high $P\ensuremath{-}T$ conditions, and demonstrate that dynamic resistivity measurements serve as a sensitive probe of subtle electronic transitions in transition metals.