Metallic state in disordered quasi-one-dimensional conductors

The metallic state in conjugated polymers and single-walled carbon nanotubes: is studied by dielectric spectroscopy (8-600 GHz). We have found an intriguing correlation between scattering time (tau) and plasma frequency (omega (p)):tau (proportional to)omega (-1.3)(p). This relation conflicts with the usually applied models that only consider disorder. Based on the observed parallels with doped semiconductors, we argue that the interchain coupling t(perpendicular to) plays a role comparable to the doping level and that the unusual free-carrier dynamics in the metallic state can be explained when including the role of t(perpendicular to) in the conventional models.