Polarized incandescent light emission from carbon nanotubes

Polarized light emission from multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWNT) bundles due to current heating is observed. The spectra of the emitted light fit well with the blackbody radiation distribution. And the emitted light is partially polarized with a degree of 0.33 along the axis of MWNT bundle, which is qualitatively explained in terms of one-dimensional structure of carbon nanotubes (CNTs). Negative temperature-dependent resistance is also observed, which is different from normal metal filaments. The MWNT bundles are very stable at high temperature in vacuum during light emitting, indicating that CNTs can be a good candidate as polarized incandescent light sources. (C) 2003 American Institute of Physics.