Nanophotonic control of the Forster resonance energy transfer efficiency

TL;DR

This study demonstrates that nanophotonic manipulation of the local density of optical states (LDOS) can control FRET efficiency and alter the characteristic Forster distance, providing a new method for tuning energy transfer in molecular systems.

Contribution

It introduces a novel approach to control FRET efficiency by adjusting LDOS using nanophotonic structures, challenging the traditional view of a fixed Forster distance.

Findings

FRET efficiency varies with LDOS.

FRET rate remains unaffected by LDOS.

The Forster distance can be tuned by nanophotonic control.

Abstract

We have studied the influence of the local density of optical states (LDOS) on the rate and efficiency of Forster resonance energy transfer (FRET) from a donor to an acceptor. The donors and acceptors are dye molecules that are separated by a short strand of double-stranded DNA. The LDOS is controlled by carefully positioning the FRET pairs near a mirror. We find that the energy transfer efficiency changes with LDOS, and that, in agreement with theory, the energy transfer rate is independent of the LDOS, which allows one to quantitatively control FRET systems in a new way. Our results imply a change in the characteristic Forster distance, in contrast to common lore that this distance is fixed for a given FRET pair.