Local electric field at the emitting surface of a carbon nanotube

Abstract

We present a method for the calculation of the local electric field at the surface of a nanoscopic emitting structure. The method is here applied to carbon nanotubes (NT) where symmetry makes the application of the method easier. The NT is simulated as a cylindrical array of touching spheres, each sphere representing an atom of the tube. The electrostatic potential is written as a linear combination of the potentials produced by each of the spheres. We calculate the local electric field and the corresponding enhancement factor γ for both open and closed nanotubes. For a closed NT we find for γ a simple polynomial expression in terms of the ratio of the height h of the tube to its radius R, which for h/R<40 reduces to a frequently quoted formula of γ. For an open single-wall NT we find that γ is three times greater than that of a single-wall NT of the same h/R. As the thickness of the wall increases this difference diminishes. From these results one may deduce a possible explanation as to why in some experiments a closed NT emits more current than a corresponding open one while in other experiments the opposite holds true.