A CNT QD is formed when electrons are confined to a small region within a carbon nanotube.
Metallic leads can then be laid over the nanotube in order to connect the CNT QD up to an electrical circuit.
The CNT QD has interesting properties as a result of the strong correlation between the confined electrons.
[2][3] These properties are often probed by connecting the nanotube to two metallic leads and measuring the conductance of the system.
The CNT QD connected to metallic leads constitutes a genuine many-body system, due to the electron correlations.