  Electronic structures of wurtzite GaAs nanowires in the [0001] direction were
studied using first-principles calculations. It was found that the band gap of
GaAs nanowires experience a direct-to-indirect transition when the diameter of
the nanowires is smaller than ~28 {\AA}. For those thin GaAs nanowires with an
indirect band gap, it was found that the gap can be tuned to be direct if a
moderate external uniaxial strain is applied. Both tensile and compressive
strain can trigger the indirect-to-direct gap transition. The critical strains
for the gap-transition are determined by the energy crossover of two states in
conduction bands.
