High pressure structure of SmI3

Rare earth halides are a chemical playground with materials applicable in multiple research areas. SmI3 is a trihalide with a BiI3-type structure consisting of honeycomb layers. Combined with the symmetry of the ground state, the compound is a potential host of Kitaev physics. We have recently observed pressure induced magnetic ordering, and with this proposal we intend to investigate if a structural transition is accompanying the magnetic transition in SmI3.