Optical pulling force in carbon nanotubes: Manifestation of non-local conductivity

We develop a new theory of an optical force exerted on a carbon nanotube (CNT) with a non-local conductivity. To determine the optical force, we employ an integral-equation-based approach in terms of the current density. The analysis is constructed for a finite-length cylindrical CNT by rigorously accounting for edge effects. In addition to numerical solutions of the integral equation, we obtain an approximate analytical expression for the optical force acting on the CNT, which shows good agreement with numerical simulations. We also demonstrate the existence of some frequency ranges in which the optical force becomes negative, corresponding to the optical pulling effect. Such a pulling behavior is shown to originate from the non-locality of the conductivity. This work advances theoretical understanding of optomechanical interactions in low-dimensional conductors and clarifies the role of spatial dispersion in the emergence of optical pulling forces.