NER: Investigation of Carbon Nanotube Nano-optics

Project: Research project

Project Details

Description

0210495

Carney

This proposal was received in response to Nanoscale Science and Engineering initiative, NSF 01-157, category NER. Nanoscale science and engineering is the bedrock upon which 21st century technological progress will be based. Large carbon molecules, such as buckyballs and nanotubes have gained recognition as promising tools for use in developing nanotechnology. Due to the electronic structure of the carbon atom, large carbon molecules can display a range of conduction behavior from insulator to semiconductor to semimetallic to metallic. The molecules also display striking mechanical properties that have already been brought to application in technology such as atomic force microscopy where nantubes have been used as probe tips. The optical properties of nanotubes remain largely unknown.

As device development continues, optical inspection methods also become more important. The PI's will perform exploratory theoretical investigations of the interaction of carbon nanotubes and light. This work is timely and is needed to direct experimental studies and device design in the near future. They will compute the electronic (excitonic) mode structure of a realistic device: a carbon nanotube of finite length. The electronic structure calculation will be carried out with a fully quantum mechanical treatment. They will then compute the coupling of these modes to an external electromagnetic field. The resulting description of the nanotube will facilitate analysis of the structure in an optical field. This will enhance their understanding of the results of optical measurements and will also point to uses of nanotubes as components of a nano-optical system. Near-field microscopy is one application of particular interest here and will be investigated in some depth. Practical applications of the theory will cover a great breadth of fields ranging from near-field microscopy to integrated optics.

StatusFinished
Effective start/end date8/15/027/31/04

Funding

  • National Science Foundation: $87,250.00

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