  In this paper, we have presented the density functional theory (DFT) based
calculations performed within the first-principles pseudopotential method to
investigate the physical properties of the newly discovered superconductor
LaRu2As2 for the first time. The optimized structural parameters are in good
agreement with the experimental results. The calculated independent elastic
constants ensure mechanical stability of the compound. The calculated Cauchy
pressure, Pugh's ratio as well as Poisson's ratio indicate that LaRu2As2 should
behave as a ductile material. Due to low Debye temperature, LaRu2As2 may be
used as a thermal barrier coating (TBC) material. The new compound should
exhibit metallic nature as its valence bands overlap considerably with the
conduction bands. LaRu2As2 is expected to be a soft material and easily
machineable because of its low hardness value of 6.8 Gpa. The multi-band nature
is observed in calculated Fermi surface. A highly anisotropic combination of
ionic, covalent, and metallic interactions is expected in accordance with
charge density calculations.
