  We present a theoretical study of the collective quasiparticle excitations
responsible for the electromagnetic response of ultrathin plane-parallel
homogeneous periodic single-wall carbon nanotube arrays and weakly
inhomogeneous single-wall carbon nanotube films. We show that in addition to
varying film composition, the collective response can be controlled by varying
the film thickness. For single-type nanotube arrays, the real part of the
dielectric response shows a broad negative refraction band near a quantum
interband transition of the constituent nanotube, whereby the system behaves as
a hyperbolic metamaterial at higher frequencies than those classical plasma
oscillations have to offer. By decreasing nanotube diameters it is possible to
push this negative refraction into the visible region, and using weakly
inhomogeneous multi-type nanotube films broadens its bandwidth.
