Laser-Driven Electron Emission Carrying Orbital Angular Momentum from Carbon Nanotubes
Abstract
Extending the orbital angular momentum (OAM) degree of freedom to slow electrons would open a distinct regime of low-energy electron-matter interactions. Using time-dependent density-functional theory, we demonstrate that laser-driven armchair carbon nanotubes (CNTs) can emit OAM-carrying slow electrons. A circularly polarized OAM-writing pulse promotes circumferential electronic motion and generates OAM about the tube axis; a delayed linearly polarized extraction pulse releases slow electrons carrying the injected angular momentum. We find much higher ionization yields and net emitted axial OAM in representative CNTs than in oriented CO2 and benzene under identical laser conditions. Increasing the tube diameter enhances the ionization yield and OAM substantially, and moreover, reversing the helicity of the OAM-writing pulse flips the sign of the emitted OAM. Together, these findings establish CNTs as a platform for slow-electron emission with optically controllable OAM.
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BibTeX
@misc{chi2026laserdriven,
title = {{Laser-Driven Electron Emission Carrying Orbital Angular Momentum from Carbon Nanotubes}},
author = {Lihan Chi and Ziwen Wang and Yigeng Peng and Chao Yu and Zhongjun Li and Ruifeng Lu},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2609.23654},
eprint = {2609.23654},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.23654},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Laser-Driven Electron Emission Carrying Orbital Angular Momentum from Carbon Nanotubes
AU - Lihan Chi
AU - Ziwen Wang
AU - Yigeng Peng
AU - Chao Yu
AU - Zhongjun Li
AU - Ruifeng Lu
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/20
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2609.23654
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.23654
AB - Extending the orbital angular momentum (OAM) degree of freedom to slow electrons would open a distinct regime of low-energy electron-matter interactions. Using time-dependent density-functional theory, we demonstrate that laser-driven armchair carbon nanotubes (CNTs) can emit OAM-carrying slow electrons. A circularly polarized OAM-writing pulse promotes circumferential electronic motion and generates OAM about the tube axis; a delayed linearly polarized extraction pulse releases slow electrons carrying the injected angular momentum. We find much higher ionization yields and net emitted axial OAM in representative CNTs than in oriented CO2 and benzene under identical laser conditions. Increasing the tube diameter enhances the ionization yield and OAM substantially, and moreover, reversing the helicity of the OAM-writing pulse flips the sign of the emitted OAM. Together, these findings establish CNTs as a platform for slow-electron emission with optically controllable OAM.
ER -