Tunable bands of electronic image states in nanowire lattices

We demonstrate that suspended arrays of parallel nanowires support bound electron image states with rich band structures. Surprisingly, these Bloch states can be highly detached from the surfaces of the nanowires, similar to the single-tube wave functions. This is because an electron hovering in such a periodic lattice of nanowires is influenced by a Coulombic-like attraction and a centrifugal repulsion, which are both central symmetric around each wire. These novel states could be used in building of waveguides, mirrors, and storage places for Rydberg-like electrons.