Coherent field emission from a multi-walled carbon nanotube with two open-ended branches

Interference fringes are obtained in a field-emission microscopy(FEM) study of a multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) with twoopen-ended branches. The FEM pattern, which is composed of threeparallel streaks, can be interpreted by using classical Young'sdouble-slit interference with the ends of the two MWCNT branchestreated as two secondary sources of the electron wave. The origin ofthe coherency of the electron beams from the two branches isdiscussed on the basis of the quantitative analysis of the FEMpattern. The result suggests a new approach to obtaining a coherentelectron source.