https://doi.org/10.1140/epjd/e2012-30187-0
Regular Article
2D electromagnetic breathers in carbon nanotubes
1 Russian University of Cooperation, 400002 Volgograd, Russia
2 M² NeT Lab, Wilfrid Laurier University, ON N2L 3C5 Waterloo, Canada
3 Entropique Scientific Research Inc., ON N6J 3S2 London, Canada
4 Laboratory of Nanotechnology, Volgograd Institute of Business, 400048 Volgograd, Russia
5 Office of the Chancellor and Center for Nanoscience, Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry and Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of Missouri-St. Louis, St. Louis, 63121 Missouri, USA
a
e-mail: alex.zhukov@live.ca
Received: 19 March 2012
Received in final form: 8 June 2012
Published online: 28 August 2012
We study the propagation of two-dimensional bipolar electromagnetic pulses in an array of semiconducting carbon nanotubes. The electromagnetic field in such an array is described by Maxwell’s equations, reduced to a nonlinear wave equation. The initial field distribution is given in the form of the breather sine-Gordon equation, restricted by a Gaussian profile in a plane perpendicular to the direction of the momentum. The numerical solution of the wave equation shows the possibility of propagation of the electromagnetic breather in an array of nanotubes. We reveal the nature of the evolution of the breather’s shape and obtain the time dependence of its amplitude. We find that the breather, propagating in an array of nanotubes, is resistant to spreading and can travel a distance ~10-3 ÷ 10-2 cm.
Key words: Optical Phenomena and Photonics
© EDP Sciences, Società Italiana di Fisica and Springer-Verlag 2012
