Origin of the Breit-Wigner-Fano lineshape of the tangential G-band feature of metallic carbon nanotubes

A detailed line-shape analysis of the tangential G-band feature attributable to metallic single-walled carbon nanotubes is presented. Only two components are needed to account for the entire G-band feature for metallic nanotubes. The higher-frequency component has a Lorentzian line shape, and the lower one has a BreitWigner-Fano ~BWF! line shape. Through comparisons of the Raman tangential G-band spectra from three different diameter distributions of carbon nanotubes, we find that both the frequency and linewidth of the BWF component are diameter dependent and show functional forms consistent with theory. The nanotube curvature is responsible for both the frequency differences between the two components of the characteristic metallic G-band spectrum and the BWF coupling of the lower-frequency component. Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy studies provide supporting evidence that the phonon BWF coupling is to an electronic continuum.