Electromagnetic wave propagation in single-wall carbon nanotubes

Propagations of electromagnetic waves in single-wall carbon nanotubes are studied within the framework of the classical electrodynamics. Electronic excitations on the nanotube's surface are modeled by an infinitesimally thin layer of free-electron gas which is described by means of the linearized hydrodynamic theory. General expressions of dispersion relations are obtained for the low-frequency electromagnetic waves with the transverse electric and transverse magnetic modes, respectively, by solving Maxwell and hydrodynamic equations with appropriate boundary conditions. Numerical results show that asymptotic behaviours of the two types of modes are quite different for large wave numbers or large nanotube radiuses. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.