8.2: Visible light induced electron emission from carbon nanotube forests

We report electron emission from forests of vertically aligned multi-walled carbon nanotubes as a result of irradiation by visible laser at wavelengths of 532 nm and 488 nm. The emission current shows a pseudo-exponential increase with laser power. Optical field-emission may provide an explanation for the observed behavior, although other mechanisms such as thermionic emission may also play a role.