Real-Time Quantum Dynamics of Long-Range Electronic Excitation Transfer in Plasmonic Nanoantennas

Using large-scale, real-time, quantum dynamics calculations, we present a detailed analysis of electronic excitation transfer (EET) mechanisms in a multiparticle plasmonic nanoantenna system. Specifically, we utilize real-time, time-dependent, density functional tight binding (RT-TDDFTB) to provide a quantum-mechanical description (at an electronic/atomistic level of detail) for characterizing and analyzing these systems, without recourse to classical approximations. We also demonstrate highly long-range electronic couplings in these complex systems and find that the range of these couplings is more than twice the conventional cutoff limit considered by Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based approaches. Furthermore, we attribute these unusually long-ranged electronic couplings to the coherent oscillations of conduction electrons in plasmonic nanoparticles. This long-range nature of plasmonic interactions has important ramifications for EET; in particular, we show that the commonly used "nearest-neighbor" FRET model is inadequate for accurately characterizing EET even in simple plasmonic antenna systems. These findings provide a real-time, quantum-mechanical perspective for understanding EET mechanisms and provide guidance in enhancing plasmonic properties in artificial light-harvesting systems.