Information Exchange via Surface Modified Resonance Energy Transfer

Abstract

The theory is presented for resonance interaction between two atoms in an excited configuration: one atom, the "receptor" of information (i.e. energy), adsorbed on a phospholipid surface and the other atom, the "emitter" of information (i.e. energy), a long distance away. The dielectric function for a specific phospholipid membrane is obtained from density functional theory calculations. We present numerical results comparing the range and magnitude of non-specific Casimir-Polder interactions with the much more long-ranged, and highly specific, resonance interaction. A study of the resonance interaction with one or both atoms adsorbed on a phospholipid membrane surface reveals a possibility to have a cross over from attraction to repulsion or from repulsion to attraction at separations between receptor and emitter atoms exceeding several hundred {\AA}ngstr\"oms. The energy transfer and the observed transitions in the sign of the interaction energies near surfaces provide potential new ways to start recognition processes in biological systems.