The nonequilibrium Green’s function method is used to study the ballistic transport in metallic carbon nanotubes when a current is injected from the electrodes with finite bias voltages. We reveal, both analytically and numerically, that large loop currents circulating around the tube are induced, which come from a quantum-mechanical interference and are much larger than the current along the tube axis when the injected electron is resonant with a time-reversed pair of degenerate states, which are, in fact, inherent in the zigzag and chiral nanotubes. The loop current produces large orbital magnetic moments, making the nanotube a molecular solenoid.

• Received 18 December 2006

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.75.153406