Eur. Phys. J. B 72, 89-95 (2009)
https://doi.org/10.1140/epjb/e2009-00303-4

Nonlinear conductance reveals positions of carbon atoms in metallic single-wall carbon nanotubes

¹ Computational Physical Science Laboratory, Department of Nano-Science, Institute for Research in Fundamental Sciences (IPM), P.O. Box 19395, Tehran, Iran
² Department of Physics, Iran University of Science and Technology, Narmak, 16345, Tehran, Iran

Corresponding author: ^a p.partovi@nano.ipm.ac.ir

Received: 27 December 2008
Revised: 1 June 2009
Published online: 11 September 2009

Abstract

Nonlinear quantum conductance in finite metallic single-wall carbon nanotubes due to presence of a single defect has been studied theoretically using π-orbital tight-binding model. The correction to the conductance induced by defects is sensitively dependent on wavefunction amplitudes of contributing electronic states. It has been shown that by calculating this correction to the first order, we can delineate the position of carbon atoms on tubular surface. It can also be used to specify the SWCNT at hand and its level spacing.