Nondispersive and dispersive collective electronic modes in carbon nanotubes

Abstract

We propose a new theoretical interpretation of the electron energy-loss spectroscopy results of Pichler {\it et al.} on bulk carbon nanotube samples. The experimentally found nondispersive modes have been attributed by Pichler {\it et al.} to interband excitations between localized states polarized perpendicular to the nanotube axis. This interpretation has been challenged by a theorist who attributed the modes to optical plasmons carrying nonzero angular momenta. We point out that both interpretations suffer from difficulties. From our theoretical results of the loss functions for individual carbon nanotubes based on a tight-binding model, we find that the nondispersive modes could be due to collective electronic modes in chiral carbon nanotubes, while the observed dispersive mode should be due to collective electronic modes in armchair and zigzag carbon nanotubes. Momentum-dependent electron energy-loss experiments on individual carbon nanotubes should be able to confirm or disprove this interpretation decisively.