  We report first-principles calculations of the effects of quasiparticle
self-energy and electron-hole interaction on the optical properties of
single-walled BN nanotubes. Excitonic effects are shown to be even more
important in BN nanotubes than in carbon nanotubes. Electron-hole interactions
give rise to complexes of bright (and dark) excitons, which qualitatively alter
the optical response. Excitons with binding energy larger than 2 eV are found
in the (8,0) BN nanotubes. Moreover, unlike the carbon nanotubes, theory
predicts that these exciton states are comprised of coherent supposition of
transitions from several different subband pairs, giving rise to novel
behaviors.

Materials Science