Polariton-assisted resonance energy transfer beyond resonant dipole-dipole interaction: A transition-current-density approach
Ming‐Wei Lee, Liang‐Yan Hsu
Abstract
Using electric dipoles to describe light-matter interactions between two entities is a conventional approximation in physics, chemistry, and materials science. However, the lack of material structures makes the approximation inadequate when the size of an entity is comparable to the spatial extent of electromagnetic fields or the distance of two entities. In this study, we develop a unified theory of radiative and nonradiative resonance energy transfer based on transition current density in a theoretical framework of macroscopic quantum electrodynamics. The proposed theory allows us to describe polariton-assisted resonance energy transfer between two entities with arbitrary material structures in spatially dependent electromagnetic fields. To demonstrate the generality of the proposed theory, we rigorously prove that our theory can cover the main results of the transition density cube method and the plasmon-coupled resonance energy transfer. We believe that this study opens a promising direction for exploring light-matter interactions beyond the scope of electric dipoles and provides insights into materials physics.