What is the "gleam in the gloom" and how does it turn the tide of the battle?

the transfer of energy between two molecules spaced just nanometers apart plays a key role in many technologies, including photovoltaics, quantum information systems, lighting, and sensors, as well as in biophysics to measure nanometer distances and in photosynthesis. but an open question in this area is what effect, if any, the surrounding photonic environment has on this nanoscale energy transfer. by designing and performing a carefully controlled experiment to answer this question, scientists have settled the debate and found clues to improving the efficiency of many of the technologies that rely on this process.

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