Resonance Raman scattering of the radial breathing mode in single wall carbon nanotubes

The radial breathing mode of single wall carbon nanotubes was used for the analysis of conformational and electronic properties of the tubes. We report resonance excitation of this mode with 12 different laser lines in the visible and near IR. Very sharp resonances were observed and compared to calculated cross sections. The position of the modes were evaluated from a high level first principles calculation which allows for the first time to identify the tube geometries from observed frequencies.