Microscopic study of temporally resolved carrier relaxation in carbon nanotubes

Christopher Köhler, Tobias Watermann, Andreas Knorr, and Ermin Malic
Phys. Rev. B 84, 153407 – Published 20 October 2011

Abstract

We investigate the time- and momentum-resolved relaxation dynamics of nonequilibrium charge carriers in semiconducting carbon nanotubes. Using density matrix theory, we derive Markovian equations for intra- and intersubband transitions driven by electron-phonon scattering. Focusing on a two-subband model, we study the relaxation times as a function of the excitation energy, the nanotube diameter, and the chiral angle. Our calculations reveal that the relaxation dynamics is very sensitive to the diameter of the tube, which is correlated with the diameter dependence of the electron-phonon coupling element. We observe the fastest relaxation dynamics for zig-zag nanotubes with a small diameter and at low excitation energies. For tubes with a large chiral angle (close to the armchair configuration), the relaxation time increases by approximately 35%.

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  • Received 25 March 2011

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.84.153407

©2011 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

Christopher Köhler*, Tobias Watermann, Andreas Knorr, and Ermin Malic

  • Institut für Theoretische Physik, Nichtlineare Optik und Quantenelektronik, Technische Universität Berlin, Hardenbergstrasse 36, D-10623 Berlin, Germany

  • *ckum@mailbox.tu-berlin.de

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Issue

Vol. 84, Iss. 15 — 15 October 2011

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