Energy transfer between adsorbates by means of surface plasmons

Abstract

Nonradiative electron excitation energy transfer between the molecules adsorbed by the plane conducting surface is investigated. It is demonstrated that the mechanism with participation of surface plasmons can be efficient for energy transfer in such system. A dependence of the energy transfer rate in the donor-acceptor adsorbate pair on the distance and anisotropy parameters is established. The efficiencies of the direct dipoledipole and plasmon channels of energy transfer are compared. The dominating (exceeding by 1-2 orders of magnitude the energy transfer rate in a system without conducting bodies) contribution of the plasmon mechanism to the total energy transfer rate is detected when molecules are close to the metal surface.

Possibilities of improving the characteristics of the scanning near-field optical microscope due to the plasmon-resonance increase of the nonradiative energy transfer rate

“…Letokhov [4], a way to increase the spatial resolution of near field microscopes up to 1-100 nm using the phenomenon of the nonradiative donor-acceptor (DA) transfer of the electron excitation energy (Förster Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET)) through the small opening of a nanoneedle probe with the subsequent observa tion of the resonance fluorescence of the acceptor molecules on the surface of the investigated object [5][6][7] is proposed. It has been shown in a number of papers [8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19] that the characteristics of the resonance energy transfer between molecules can notably change near nanostructures, including the nanoneedle's end. It has been established through the efforts of a number of authors that nanobodies of the simplest shapes (nano spheres, nanocylinders, and nanocones) can signifi cantly increase the probability of the dipole or the pre viously forbidden quadrupole transition in compari son with the case of the free (without the outside objects participation) radiative transfer in the atom [20].…”