Influence of medium chirality on electric dipole–dipole resonance energy transfer

Electric dipole–dipole resonance energy transfer taking place between two chromophores in an absorptive and dispersive chiral medium is studied. Quantized electromagnetic field operators in this environment are first obtained from the time-harmonic Maxwell equations and the Drude–Born–Fedorov equations. Second-order time-dependent perturbation theory and the Fermi Golden rule are used to calculate the transfer rate. A complicated dependence on the permittivity, permeability and chirality admittance of the medium is found. In the near-zone, the rate is amplified in a medium with negligible absorption comprised of one enantiomer relative to that in a racemic mixture.