  The electronic properties of the heavy metal superconductor LaIr3 are
reported. The estimated superconducting parameters obtained from physical
properties measurements indicate that LaIr3 is a BCS-type superconductor.
Electronic band structure calculations show that Ir d- states dominate the
Fermi level. A comparison of electronic band structures of LaIr3 and LaRh3
shows that the Ir-compound has a strong spin-orbit-coupling effect, which
creates a complex Fermi surface.
