On the Possibility of Nanowire Antennas

Single carbon nanotubes are investigated with respect to possible antenna applications. On the basis of an electromagnetic analysis and under consideration of the quantum transport effects a transmission line model for the electromagnetic wave propagation along single carbon nanotubes is investigated. The scattering of a plane wave by a carbon nanotube is computed. Due to quantum mechanical electron transport effects a kinetic inductance arises which exceeds the geometric inductance by orders of magnitude. This yields slow wave propagation and suggests the possibility to realize extremely small resonant structures