Quasi-One-Dimensional Electron Gas Bound to a Helium-Coated Nanotube

A much-studied system is the quasi-2D electron gas in image-potential bound states at the surface of helium and hydrogen. In this paper, we report on an analogous quasi-1D system: electrons bound by image-like polarization forces to the surface of a helium-coated carbon nanotube. The potential is computed from an electron-helium pseudopotential, plus a dynamic image term evaluated from a semi-classical model of the nanotube’s response function. Predictions are made for the bound states and potential many-body properties of this novel electron gas for a specific choice of tube radius and film thickness.