We used several variations of the shock compression method to measure the longitudinal sound velocity of shocked tantalum over the pressure range 37–363 GPa with a typical uncertainty of 1.0%%. These data are consistent with Ta remaining in the bcc phase along the principal Hugoniot from ambient pressure to ≈300 GPa, at which pressure melting occurs. These data also do not support the putative melting phenomena reported below 100 GPa in some static compression experiments
