Electronic instability in double-quantum-wire structures

Abstract We discuss a charge-density-wave instability for electrons in quasi-one-dimensional structures due to Coulomb interaction effects. The two plasmon modes (ω+, ω−) of a double-quantum-wire structure are studied. The effect of a finite local-field correction is discussed. For small wavenumbers, it is shown that for a fixed wire distance and wire radius the energy of the ω− plasmon vanishes if the particle density is smaller than a critical value. The disappearance of the ω− mode corresponds to a singularity in the static susceptibility of the system.