Quantum interference in deformed carbon nanotube waveguides

TL;DR

This study investigates quantum interference in deformed carbon nanotubes using tight-binding methods, revealing how strain affects conductance oscillations and the role of sigma-pi coupling in different deformation types.

Contribution

It provides new insights into how axial and tip deformations influence quantum interference and conductance in carbon nanotubes, highlighting strain sensitivity and coupling effects.

Findings

RCO period decreases inversely with deformation degree

Sigma-pi coupling negligible in axial stretching

Sigma-pi coupling affects tip-deformed CNT transport

Abstract

Quantum interference (QI) in two types of deformed carbon nanotubes (CNTs), i.e., axially stretched and AFM tip-deformed CNTs, has been investigated by the pi-electron only and four-orbital tight-binding (TB) method. It is found that the rapid conductance oscillation (RCO) period is very sensitive to the applied strains, and decreases in an inverse proportion to the deformation degree, which could be used as a powerful experimental tool to detect precisely the deformation degree of the deformed CNTs. Also, the sigma-pi coupling effect is found to be negligible under axially stretched strain, while it works on the transport properties of the tip-deformed CNTs.