Resonance energy transfer mediated by a chiral molecule

Area of Science:

• Molecular Quantum Electrodynamics
• Chiral Systems
• Energy Transfer Phenomena

Background:

• Resonant energy transfer (RET) typically involves electric dipole interactions.
• The influence of chiral mediators on RET is not fully understood.
• Optical activity of mediating molecules requires advanced theoretical treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate resonant energy transfer (RET) between electric dipole donor and acceptor mediated by a chiral third-body.
• To incorporate magnetic dipole and electric quadrupole coupling to account for mediator's optical activity.
• To develop theoretical framework for RET in chiral environments.

Main Methods:

• Utilized fourth-order diagrammatic time-dependent perturbation theory.
• Calculated matrix elements including electric dipole, magnetic dipole, and electric quadrupole interactions.
• Employed Cartesian tensor averaging for molecular orientations.

Main Results:

• RET rate depends on pure and mixed multipole moment polarizabilities and susceptibilities of the chiral mediator.
• Chirality manifests through mixed electric-magnetic dipole and electric dipole-quadrupole polarizabilities, affecting RET rates.
• Isotropic rate formulas derived for chiral fluid media; specific terms vanish for randomly oriented systems.

Conclusions:

• Molecular chirality significantly impacts resonant energy transfer dynamics.
• The study provides a theoretical foundation for understanding RET in complex chiral media.
• Findings offer insights into energy transfer mechanisms relevant to optical materials and molecular systems.