Channeling of charge carrier plasmons in carbon nanotubes

Ab initio calculations of the loss function of potassium-intercalated and electron-loaded bundles of single-walled carbon nanotubes yield a channeled-charge-carrier plasmon without perpendicular dispersion. Experimentally, we probe the momentum-dependent loss function of thin bundles consisting of only a few potassium-intercalated single-walled carbon nanotubes by angle-resolved electron-energy-loss spectroscopy and confirm this intrinsic channeling. The charge-carrier-plasmon energy is via in situ intercalation and is tunable in the near-visible infrared-energy range from 0.85 to 1.15 eV.