Theory of exciton thermal radiation in semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes

Abstract

Spectral control of thermal radiation is an essential strategy for highly efficient and functional utilization of thermal radiation energy. Among the various proposed methods, quantum confinement in low-dimensional materials is promising because of its inherent ability to emit narrowband thermal radiation. Here, we theoretically investigate thermal radiation from one-dimensional (1D) semiconductors characterized by the strong quantum correlation effect due to the Coulomb interaction. We derive a simple and useful formula for the emissivity, which is then used to calculate the thermal radiation spectrum of semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes as a representative of 1D semiconductors. The calculations show that the exciton state, which is an electron–hole pair mutually bound by the Coulomb interaction, causes enhancement of the radiation spectrum peak and significant narrowing of its linewidth in the near-infrared wavelength range. The theory developed here will be a firm foundation for exciton thermal radiation in 1D semiconductors, which is expected to lead to new energy harvesting technologies.