Manifestations of electron interactions in photogalvanic effect in chiral nanotubes

TL;DR

This paper explores how electron interactions influence the photogalvanic effect in chiral nanotubes, proposing it as a new way to probe electron correlations in these one-dimensional systems.

Contribution

It demonstrates that the circular photovoltaic effect in chiral nanotubes is fundamentally linked to electron correlations, providing a novel experimental probe.

Findings

Frequency dependence of photovoltage characterized

Singularities in photovoltage identified

Electron correlations shown to affect photogalvanic response

Abstract

Carbon nanotubes provide one of the most accessible experimental realizations of one dimensional electron systems. In the experimentally relevant regime of low doping the Luttinger liquid formed by electrons may be approximated by a Wigner crystal. The crystal-like electronic order suggests that nanotubes exhibit effects similar to the M\"ossbauer effect where the momentum of an emitted photon is absorbed by the whole crystal. We show that the circular photovoltaic effect in chiral nanotubes is of the same nature. We obtain the frequency dependence of the photovoltage and characterize its singularities in a broad frequency range where the electron correlations are essential. Our predictions provide a basis for using the photogalvanic effect as a new experimental probe of electron correlations in nanotubes.