Probing Van der Waals Coupled One-Dimensional Physics in Double-Walled Carbon Nanotubes

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NONTECHNICAL ABSTRACTThe award funds a project that investigates novel one-dimensional(1D) physics in double-walled carbon nanotubes, a model family of van der Waals-coupled 1D materials. One-dimensional carbon nanotubes have remarkable electrical, mechanical, and optical properties. This research project aims at advancing fundamental understanding of these 1D carbon materials, the knowledge of which could enable new types of electronic and photonic devices. The project provides an interdisciplinary learning environment, where graduate and undergraduate students can learn state-of-the-art laser spectroscopy and nanoscale fabrication, and collaborate with theorists and other experimentalists internationally. The project also takes advantage of the diverse student body and education activities in UC Berkeley to enhance broad participation in science and technology. TECHNICAL ABSTRACTThis award funds a project that aims at fundamental understanding of van der Waals coupled one-dimensional physics in double-walled carbon nanotubes (DWNTs). DWNTs provides an ideal family of model systems to explore new 1D physics arising from van der Waals interactions: there are hundreds of different DWNT species, and each DWNT specie is uniquely characterized by the chiral indices of the constituent outer and inner single-walled carbon nanotubes. The perfect structure and rich variety of DWNTs is quite unique, and it enables quantitative and systematic studies of emerging 1D physics in different van der Waals-coupled structures. In this project, the principle investigator plans to investigate novel 1D phenomena in different DWNTs using a combination of single-tube spectroscopy and electron diffraction on individual DWNTs. In particular, the research activities cover three exciting directions: (1) Electronic structure renormalization in incommensurate DWNTs (2) Coupling between excitons and Luttinger liquid in metal/semiconductor DWNTs (i.e. DWNTs composed of a metallic outer wall and a semiconducting inner wall). (3) Ultrafast energy transfer between the inner- and outer-wall nanotubes. Physical understanding obtained in this project is not only of fundamental interest, but also important for nanoelectronic and nanophotonic applications based on DWNTs.