  We study the binding energies of singlet trions, i.e. charged excitons, in
carbon nanotubes. The problem is modeled, through the effective-mass model, as
a three-particle complex on the surface of a cylinder, which we investigate
using both one- and two-dimensional expansions of the wave function. The
effects of dimensionality and correlation are studied in detail. We find that
the Hartree-Fock approximation significantly underestimates the trion binding
energy. Combined with band structures calculated using a non-orthogonal nearest
neighbour tight binding model, the results from the cylinder model are used to
compute physical binding energies for a wide selection of carbon nanotubes. In
addition, the dependence on dielectric screening is examined. Our findings
indicate that trions are detectable at room temperature in carbon nanotubes
with radius below 8{\AA}.
