Trapped Exciton 2 (IMAGE) University of Maryland Caption A chemical defect in a single-walled carbon nanotube creates a depression in the energy landscape of the nanotube. As charged particles flow across the conductive surface of the nanotube, they can fall into this depression. Here, an exciton (upper left) and an electron (upper right) fall into a depression, become bound together into a trion and are trapped. As the trion decays, it releases a photon that can be observed as a bright flash of luminescence Credit Hyejin Kwon Usage Restrictions None License Licensed content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.