Polarization Dependence of the Optical Absorption of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes

Yoichi Murakami, Erik Einarsson, Tadao Edamura, and Shigeo Maruyama

Phys. Rev. Lett. 94, 087402 – Published 2 March 2005

Abstract

Anisotropic optical absorption properties of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) are determined from a vertically aligned SWNT film for 0.5–6 eV. Absorption peaks at 4.5 and 5.25 eV are found to exhibit remarkable polarization dependence and have relevance to optical properties of graphite. A method for determining a nematic order parameter for an aligned SWNT film based on the collinear absorption peak at 4.5 eV is presented, followed by the determination of the optical absorption cross section.