Generalized Forster Theory

The next two chapters are devoted to ultrafast radiationless transitions. In Chapter 5, the generalized linear response theory is used to treat the non-equilibrium dynamics of molecular systems. This method, based on the density matrix method, can also be used to calculate the transient spectroscopic signals that are often monitored experimentally. As an application of the method, the authors present the study of the interfadal photo-induced electron transfer in dye-sensitized solar cell as observed by transient absorption spectroscopy. Chapter 6 uses the density matrix method to discuss important processes that occur in the bacterial photosynthetic reaction center, which has congested electronic structure within 200-1500cm 1 and weak interactions between these electronic states. Therefore, this biological system is an ideal system to examine theoretical models (memory effect, coherence effect, vibrational relaxation, etc.) and techniques (generalized linear response theory, Forster-Dexter theory, Marcus theory, internal conversion theory, etc.) for treating ultrafast radiationless transition phenomena. 

Several theories have been developed to explain how energy absorbed by one molecule is transferred to a second acceptor molecule of the same or a different species. At first sight exciton theory,20 66 which accounts for excitation transfer in molecular aggregates or crystals and the Davydov splitting effects connected with it, appears to bear little relationship to the treatment of long-range resonance transfer as developed, for example, by Forster.81-32 However, these theories can be shown to arise from the same general considerations treated at different well-defined mathematical limits.33-79... 

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