Optical System Design: From Fundamentals to Advanced Applications

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to invite you to contribute to this Special Issue, which will serve as a platform to exchange innovative ideas, share the latest research findings, and foster collaboration among experts in optical design and photonics.

This Special Issue aims to systematically showcase the latest breakthroughs, address key challenges, and guide future research directions in this dynamic field. It highlights recent progress and emerging trends in optical system design, covering both theoretical developments and practical implementations, and seeks to bring together high-quality contributions from leading experts and researchers worldwide.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but not limited to) the following: AI-driven optical system design (e.g., generative design, inverse optimization algorithms); metasurface-based optical system design (e.g., flat optics, multi-functional meta-devices integration); integrated optical system design (e.g., on-chip photonics, heterogeneous integration of optical components); high-precision imaging optical system design (e.g., adaptive optics, diffraction-limited systems); free-form optical design and manufacturing integration; multi-physics collaborative optimization for optical systems (e.g., thermal-optical, mechanical-optical coupling); and novel optical material applications in system design (e.g., photonic crystals, chiral materials).

Original research articles, comprehensive review papers, and forward-looking perspective articles are all welcome. We believe this Special Issue will serve as a platform for academic exchange, promote the industrial translation of innovative design technologies, and further advance the development of global optical system design.

Dr. Bo Li
Dr. Jingxu Sun
Dr. Lisong Yan
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Photonics is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.