A Classical Theory of Multichromophoric Resonance Energy Transfer

Based on classical electrodynamics, a classical theory of multichromophoric resonance energy transfer is formulated. In the maximum coupling configuration between $N_{\mathrm{A}}$ acceptors and $N_{\mathrm{D}}$ donors, the present theory predicts a first-order-in-the-interactions enhancement of the energy transfer rate by a factor $N_{\mathrm{A}}$ and additional second-order-in-the-interactions enhancement arising from the interaction between donors. The theory is applied to predict the transfer rate of the LH II and results are found to be in good agreement with experimental results.