Collective F\"orster energy transfer modified by the planar metallic mirror

TL;DR

This paper develops a theory showing how a planar metallic mirror can significantly alter the F"orster energy transfer rate between donor and acceptor molecules, with effects depending on their relative positions.

Contribution

It introduces a collective model demonstrating the mirror's strong influence on energy transfer, absent in single donor models.

Findings

Transfer rate can be suppressed or enhanced by the mirror.

Modification depends on the relative positions of donor and acceptor arrays.

The effect is a collective phenomenon mediated by light-induced coupling.

Abstract

We present a theory of the F\"orster energy transfer between the arrays of donor and acceptor molecules lying on the planar metallic mirror. We reveal strong modification of the effective transfer rate by the mirror in the incoherent pumping regime. The rate can be either suppressed or enhanced depending on the relative positions between acceptor and donor arrays. The strong modification of the transfer rate is a collective effect, mediated by the light-induced coupling between the donors; it is absent in the single donor model.