Stability of Trionic States in Zigzag Carbon Nanotubes

TL;DR

This paper investigates the stability of trionic states in zigzag carbon nanotubes, revealing their instability relative to the ground state but stability compared to excited states, and proposes a formation mechanism involving excited excitons.

Contribution

It provides the first analysis of trion stability in zigzag carbon nanotubes and introduces the concept of trions as excimer complexes with three energy levels.

Findings

Trions are unstable compared to the ground excitonic state.

Trions are stable relative to the excited excitonic state.

Trions can form by capturing an electron or hole with an excited exciton.

Abstract

The stability of trionic excitations in zigzag carbon nanotubes has been estimated. A trion is shown to be unstable with respect to the ground excitonic state and stable with respect to the excited one. So, trions in nanotubes of this type can be formed by capturing an electron or a hole by an excited exciton. In other words, the trion in a nanotube is an excimer complex, which results in the formation of a system with three energy levels (unexcited exciton--trion--excited exciton).