  We apply the time-dependent local density approximation (TDLDA) to calculate
dipole excitations in small carbon clusters. A strong low-frequency mode is
found which agrees well with observation for clusters C_n with n in the range
7-15. The size dependence of the mode may be understood simply as the classical
resonance of electrons in a conducting needle. For a ring geometry, the lowest
collective mode occurs at about twice the frequency of the collective mode in
the linear chain, and this may also be understood in simple terms.
