Nanoelectromagnetics: circuit and electromagnetic properties of carbon nanotubes

This Review presents a discussion of the electromagnetic properties of nanoscale electrical conductors, which are quantum mechanical one-dimensional systems. Of these, carbon nanotubes are the most technologically advanced example, and are discussed mainly in this paper. The properties of such systems as transmission electron microscopy waveguides for on-chip signal propagation and also the radiation properties of such systems are discussed. This work is primarily aimed at microwave, nanometer-wave, and THz electronics. However, the use of nanotubes as antennas in the IR and optical frequency range is not precluded on first principles and remains an open research area.