  We present a quantum framework based on a density matrix of a dimer system to
investigate the quantum dynamics of excitation energy transfer (EET) in the
presence of the evanescent field from the metal and the phonon bath. Due to the
spatial correlation of the electric field in the vicinity of the metal, the
spectral density of the evanescent field is similar to that of a shared phonon
bath. However, the EET dynamics under the influence of the evanescent field is
an open and a new problem. Here we use a thin metallic film to investigate the
effect of the evanescent field on the excitation energy transfer in a dimer
system based on a density matrix approach. Our results indicate that a thin
metallic film enhances the energy transfer rate at the expense of absorbing
energy during the process. Since the spectral density of the evanescent field
is affected by the geometry of the medium and the distance of a dimer system
from the medium, our results demonstrate the possibility to tune EET based on
material geometry and distances. Our model also serves as an expansion to
quantum heat engine model and provides a framework to investigate the EET in
light harvesting molecular networks under the influence of the evanescent
field.
