Imaging Electron Wave Functions of Quantized Energy Levels in Carbon Nanotubes

Carbon nanotubes provide a unique system to study one-dimensional quantization phenomena. Scanning tunneling microscopy is used to observe the electronic wave functions that correspond to quantized energy levels in short metallic carbon nanotubes. Discrete electron waves are apparent from periodic oscillations in the differential conductance as a function of the position along the tube axis, with a period that differs from that of the atomic lattice. Wave functions can be observed for several electron states at adjacent discrete energies. The measured wavelengths are in good agreement with the calculated Fermi wavelength for armchair nanotubes.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figures in seperate PDF fil

Spin splitting and even-odd effects in carbon nanotubes

The level spectrum of a single-walled carbon nanotube rope, studied by transport spectroscopy, shows Zeeman splitting in a magnetic field parallel to the tube axis. The pattern of splittings implies that the spin of the ground state alternates by 1/2 as consecutive electrons are added. Other aspects of the Coulomb blockade characteristics, including the current-voltage traces and peak heights, also show corresponding even-odd effects.Comment: Preprint, pdf format only, 4 pages including figure