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Quantum optics: Energy transfer under control

Nature volume 400, pages 505–506 (1999)Cite this article

Life on Earth is ultimately sustained by photosynthesis. This phenomenon makes use of perhaps the most fundamental example of a process known as excitation-energy transfer1. Solar energy is harvested by ‘antenna’ molecules that readily absorb photons of light, and is then transferred with great efficiency to a distant reaction site for use in metabolic processes. This transfer mechanism has been widely studied; it has even proved possible to mimic this aspect of photosynthesis in artificial light-harvesting structures based on molecular films2. Adopting this energy-transfer process in optoelectronics is an attractive idea that allows us to tailor the characteristics of a new generation of devices, such as polymer light-emitting diodes3 and lasers4.

Developments in quantum optics have shown that the interaction of light and matter can be controlled by manipulating the local optical environment5. Microcavities and photonic bandgap materials have been used to control spontaneous emission, in which an excited molecule gives up its energy as light. Can the same control be exerted over the energy-transfer process? A report in Physical Review Letters6 by Hopmeier et al. indicates that such control may indeed be possible, and could have far-reaching implications.

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Figure 1: Energy-transfer scheme.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Physics, University of Exeter, Exeter, EX4 4QL, UK

    William L. Barnes & Piers Andrew

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  1. William L. Barnes
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  2. Piers Andrew
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Barnes, W., Andrew, P. Quantum optics: Energy transfer under control. Nature 400, 505–506 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1038/22875

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