Transformation Optics and Metamaterials

Dear Colleagues,

Over the past few decades, significant advancements have been made in controlling light–matter interactions across the electromagnetic spectrum through transformation optics and metamaterials. In particular, the growing demands of modern telecommunication systems are increasingly met by artificial platforms that overcome the intrinsic limitations of naturally available media. As a result, the manipulation, confinement, and modulation of electromagnetic waves have become feasible processes, enabling remarkable flexibility in device design. Within this framework, a broad range of materials and methodologies has been proposed and successfully applied, whose continued adoption in emerging areas remains imperative.

In terms of advanced materials, graphene has demonstrated exceptional potential in the terahertz regime, while time-varying media enable a roadmap for complex electromagnetic functionalities, such as efficient frequency generation in the millimeter-wave regime and beyond. Additionally, a variety of analytical tools, including quasi-normal mode analysis and coupled-mode theory, can now be integrated with artificial intelligence techniques to form physics-oriented approaches. The latter accelerate the development of reconfigurable devices, such as smart metasurfaces capable of manipulating electromagnetic waves on demand. Finally, the aforementioned advances require novel numerical tools to establish accurate and efficient simulation frameworks that support next-generation device engineering. This Special Issue invites contributions at the intersection of theory, materials science, and device applications, aiming to highlight both recent progress and future directions in transformation optics and metamaterials. The topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Analytical tools for electromagnetic characterization of meta-particles;
2. Numerical algorithms for robust simulations;
3. Effective geometry optimization procedures for meta-devices;
4. Design of reliable application-oriented devices for modern communications.

Prof. Dr. Nikolaos V. Kantartzis
Dr. Stamatios Amanatiadis
Guest Editors

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