Graphene-Plasmon-Assisted Fluorescence and Resonance Energy Transfer

Fluorescence and resonance energy transfer between two chromophores in the presence of nanostructures such as 2D materials is a fundamental subject in chemical physics. To explore the effects of doped graphene on the two phenomena, first, we model graphene plasmon as surface currents with conductivity calculated from the random phase approximation. Furthermore, based on macroscopic quantum electrodynamics, we can depict the chromophore-photon interactions around doped graphene and establish a theory which is general for fluorescence and resonance energy transfer in inhomogeneous, dispersive, and absorbing media. Besides, the theory allows us to develop a concept called "generalized spectral overlap" for understanding the frequency dependence of resonance energy transfer and a role played by graphene plasmon polariton in resonance energy transfer. We hope that this work can motivate further studies on fluorescence and resonance energy transfer in a variety of plasmonic nanostructures, with possible applications in spectroscopy, photonics, and energy devices.