First-principles calculation of chiral current and quantum self-inductance of carbon nanotubes

We report a first-principles calculation on the current density distribution in carbon nanotubes (CNTs). Due to inversion symmetry breaking, a chiral current is found to flow in chiral CNTs. The chiral current varies continuously on each transmission plateau but jumps abruptly when the number of transmission channels is changed. A magnetic field is induced inside the CNT with a significant magnitude whose direction can be reversed by tuning the Fermi energy. Unlike a classical inductor whose inductance is a property of the geometric structure only, the self-inductance of CNT is sensitive to the Fermi energy. This quantum feature should also exist in other nanotubes.