Different Carbon Nanotori with Identical Spectral Properties: Hidden Geometric Symmetries of the Compactified Graphene Sheet

by Dr Keith R. Deines (National Science Foundation / U Maryland / U Arizona)

Tuesday Dec 7, 2010, 4:00 PM → 5:30 PM Pacific/Honolulu

417 (Watanabe Hall)

Carbon nanotori are structures which emerge upon sewing opposite ends of a carbon nanotube together. As such, they represent toroidal compactifications of a graphene sheet. In this talk, I will discuss certain geometric symmetries of the compactified graphene sheet which have hitherto been neglected. The existence of these symmetries implies that many physically distinct carbon nanotori share identical band structures, energy spectra, and electrical conductivities. This observation has profound consequences for the physics of such nanotori.
NOTE: This will be an informal blackboard talk/discussion. All are welcome to attend.