Charge-carrier dynamics in single-wall carbon nanotube bundles: A time-domain study

TL;DR

This study uses femtosecond time-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy to explore ultrafast charge-carrier dynamics in single-wall carbon nanotube bundles, revealing rapid electron-electron scattering and electron-phonon interactions.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed real-time analysis of charge-carrier relaxation processes in SWCNT bundles, including quasiparticle lifetimes and electron-phonon coupling strength.

Findings

Quasiparticle lifetimes decrease with energy up to 2.38 eV above Fermi level.

Electron-phonon coupling parameter lambda is significantly smaller than in good conductors.

Cooling of hot electrons occurs on a picosecond timescale.

Abstract

We present a real-time investigation of ultrafast carrier dynamics in single-wall carbon nanotube bundles using femtosecond time-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy. The experiments allow to study the processes governing the subpicosecond and the picosecond dynamics of non-equilibrium charge-carriers. On the subpicoseond timescale the dynamics are dominated by ultrafast electron-electron scattering processes which lead to internal thermalization of the laser excited electron gas. We find that quasiparticle lifetimes decrease strongly as a function of their energy up to 2.38 eV above the Fermi-level - the highest energy studied experimentally. The subsequent cooling of the laser heated electron gas down to the lattice temperature by electron-phonon interaction occurs on the picosecond time-scale and allows to determine the electron-phonon mass enhancement parameter lambda. The latter is found to be over an order of magnitude smaller if compared, for example, with that of a good conductor such as copper.