Inelastic transport in vibrating disordered carbon nanotubes: scattering times and temperature-dependent decoherence effects

Phys Rev Lett. 2010 Mar 19;104(11):116801. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.104.116801. Epub 2010 Mar 19.

Abstract

By using an order N quantum transport methodology, and treating on the same footing static and dynamical disorders, we report on the theoretical exploration of quantum interferences tuned by electron-phonon mediated decoherence mechanisms in disordered carbon nanotubes (with length up to 10 microm). This allows the extraction of inelastic scattering times together with temperature-dependent coherence lengths, which favorably compare with available experimental data at a quantitative level, and clarify the role of localization phenomena up to room temperature.