Possibility for exciton Bose-Einstein condensation in carbon nanotubes

TL;DR

This paper explores the potential for exciton Bose-Einstein condensation in small-diameter semiconducting carbon nanotubes, enabled by exciton-plasmon coupling controlled via an external electric field, at accessible low temperatures.

Contribution

It proposes a novel mechanism for exciton Bose-Einstein condensation in carbon nanotubes through exciton-interband-plasmon coupling modulated by an external field.

Findings

Condensation possible at fields ~1 V/nm and temperatures below 100 K.

Provides a new platform for studying condensed matter physics in one dimension.

Suggests potential for tunable polarized light sources using nanotubes.

Abstract

We demonstrate a possibility for exciton Bose-Einstein condensation in individual small-diameter (~1-2 nm) semiconducting carbon nanotubes. The effect occurs under the exciton-interband-plasmon coupling controlled by an external electrostatic field applied perpendicular to the nanotube axis. It requires fields ~1 V/nm and temperatures below 100 K that are experimentally accessible. The effect offers a testing ground for fundamentals of condensed matter physics in one dimension and opens up perspectives to develop tunable coherent polarized light source with carbon nanotubes.