Microscopic derivation of the microstretch theory for carbon nanotubes

Abstract

Twisted carbon nanotubes support phonons involving not only torsion, naturally associated with microrotation, but also radial breathing, which requires a scalar stretch degree of freedom. We derive an effective microstretch theory for these modes starting from nonlinear elasticity on a cylindrical surface. By linearizing the equation of motion around a uniformly twisted equilibrium configuration, we obtain the dynamical matrix for the twisting, longitudinal, and radial-breathing modes. This matrix coincides with that of a one-dimensional microstretch theory, and the corresponding elastic constants are expressed in terms of the Lamé constants, the nanotube radius, and the twist rate. The twist generates chiral couplings in the effective theory, which hybridize the three modes and open an anticrossing in the phonon dispersion. These results provide a microscopic basis for the microstretch description of phonons in twisted carbon nanotubes and clarify how structural chirality enters the effective couplings.