A theoretical modeling of scanning tunneling microscopy of the carbon nanotubes is presented. This theory is based on the standard perturbation description of elastic tunneling within a tight-binding description of the carbon π-electrons. The tip is treated as a single atom with an s wavefunction. Several simulations of topographic STM images of perfect single-wall nanotubes are illustrated with reference to available experimental data and other results from ab-initio calculations. The effects on the STM image of substituting a B atom for C in the (10,10) nanotube are also investigated.
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