Special Issues

Photonics publishes Special Issues to create collections of papers on specific topics, with the aim of building a community of authors and readers to discuss the latest research and develop new ideas and research directions. Special Issues are led by Guest Editors, who are experts on the topic and all Special Issue submissions follow MDPI's standard editorial process. The journal’s Editor-in-Chief and/or designated Editorial Board Member will oversee Guest Editor appointments and Special Issue proposals, checking their content for relevance and ensuring the suitability of the material for the journal. The papers published in a Special Issue will be collected and displayed on a dedicated page of the journal’s website. Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies and Guest Editor responsibilities can be found here. For any inquiries related to a Special Issue, please contact the Editorial Office.

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Design and Construction of Optical Systems
edited by Huanhao Li
submission deadline 20 Apr 2026 | 1 articles | Viewed by 346 | Submission Open
Keywords: optical system design; photonics; computational optics; optical manipulation; holography; optical imaging; fabrication with optics; integrated photonics
Microwave Photonics: Advances and Applications
edited by and Jinlong Yu
submission deadline 20 Apr 2026 | 1 articles | Viewed by 334 | Submission Open
Keywords: microwave photonics; optoelectronic oscillators; photonic signal processing; integrated microwave photonic circuits; RF-over-fiber; microwave photonic filters; high-frequency signal generation; optical modulation and detection; photonic-assisted radar and sensing; wideband analog optical links
(This special issue belongs to the Section Optoelectronics and Optical Materials)
Recent Advances in Optical Metamaterials: Numerical Methods, Modeling, and AI Techniques
edited by
submission deadline 20 Apr 2026 | Viewed by 53 | Submission Open
Keywords: metamaterials; metasurfaces; inverse photonic design; metamaterial-based devices; computational electromagnetics; artificial intelligence; machine learning
(This special issue belongs to the Section New Applications Enabled by Photonics Technologies and Systems)
Optical Fiber Lasers: Advances in Design, Fabrication and Applications
edited by , Zhiqiang Wang and
submission deadline 21 Apr 2026 | Viewed by 196 | Submission Open
Keywords: fiber lasers; fiber laser applications; optical fiber
(This special issue belongs to the Section Lasers, Light Sources and Sensors)
Emerging Technologies for Silicon Photonics and Integrated Circuits
edited by Yin Xu
submission deadline 25 Apr 2026 | 1 articles | Viewed by 969 | Submission Open
Keywords: silicon photonics; photonic integrated circuits; electro-optic modulator; fiber-to-chip coupling; signal processing; photo-electric detector; optical material; AI algorithm; optical computing; integrated quantum photonic device
(This special issue belongs to the Section Optoelectronics and Optical Materials)
Silicon Integrated Photonics: Challenges and Opportunities
edited by
submission deadline 25 Apr 2026 | Viewed by 186 | Submission Open
Keywords: silicon integrated photonics; heterogeneous integration; quantum technology; ultra-fast photonics; topological photonics; optical computing; AI-assisted photonic design; spin– photon interface; nonlinear dynamics; optomechanics
(This special issue belongs to the Section Optoelectronics and Optical Materials)
Optical Sensors and Devices
edited by
submission deadline 30 Apr 2026 | 6 articles | Viewed by 9990 | Submission Open
Keywords: optical fiber sensor; optical spectrum; distributed fiber sensing; optical remote sensing; optical scattering; photoelectric detection
(This special issue belongs to the Section Lasers, Light Sources and Sensors)
Advances in Epsilon-Near-Zero Photonics
edited by Aleksei Anopchenko and
submission deadline 30 Apr 2026 | 2 articles | Viewed by 5765 | Submission Open
Keywords: zero-index materials; epsilon-near-zero; nanophotonics; plasmonics; nonlinear optics; optical metasurfaces; metamaterials; light– matter interaction; electromagnetics
Applications and Development of Optical Fiber Sensors
edited by Haokun Yang, , Zhe Ma, Zhenshi Sun and Rongxin Zhu
submission deadline 30 Apr 2026 | 5 articles | Viewed by 4536 | Submission Open
Keywords: optical fiber sensor; distributed sensing system; AI-driven fiber sensors; novel fiber structure; optic– electronic detection techniques; smart city fiber networks; structural health monitoring; sensing technology innovation
(This special issue belongs to the Section Optoelectronics and Optical Materials)
Application and Development of Optoelectronic Oscillators (OEOs) in Microwave Photonics
edited by and
submission deadline 30 Apr 2026 | 1 articles | Viewed by 3559 | Submission Open
Keywords: optoelectronic oscillators; optoelectronic oscillator sensors; optical RF signal processing; low phase noise; microwave photonics; and radio over fibers
(This special issue belongs to the Section New Applications Enabled by Photonics Technologies and Systems)
Nonlinear Optics and Optical Parametric Oscillators: From Fundamentals to Cutting-Edge Research
edited by Wange Song
submission deadline 30 Apr 2026 | 3 articles | Viewed by 3539 | Submission Open
Keywords: optical parametric oscillators; ultrafast optics; integrated photonics
(This special issue belongs to the Section Lasers, Light Sources and Sensors)
Advancements in Optics and Laser Measurement
edited by and
submission deadline 30 Apr 2026 | 3 articles | Viewed by 3078 | Submission Open
Keywords: optical sensing technologies; optical interferometry; 3D surface profiling; laser imaging; laser scanning and reconstruction; non-contact measurement; high-precision metrology; machine learning in optical measurement
(This special issue belongs to the Section Lasers, Light Sources and Sensors)
Biomedical Photonics
edited by Chao Liu
submission deadline 30 Apr 2026 | 2 articles | Viewed by 1829 | Submission Open
Keywords: biomedical photonics; brain imaging and metabolism; two-photon microscopy; photoacoustic imaging
(This special issue belongs to the Section Biophotonics and Biomedical Optics)
Advances in Metasurfaces: Novel Designs and Applications
edited by Chenxia Li
submission deadline 30 Apr 2026 | 1 articles | Viewed by 1562 | Submission Open
Keywords: metasurfaces; metamaterials; flat optics; wavefront shaping; nanophotonics; unit cell design; nanofabrication; holography; optical sensors; reconfigurable metasurfaces (or active metasurfaces)
Optical Communication Networks: Challenges and Opportunities
edited by and Zhengxuan Li
submission deadline 30 Apr 2026 | 1 articles | Viewed by 1348 | Submission Open
Keywords: optical communication networks; optical fiber communication; digital signal processing; optical passive networks
(This special issue belongs to the Section Optical Communication and Network)
Advancements in Optical Devices for Quantum Information Processing and Communication
edited by , Yajun Gao and Feng-Yu Lu
submission deadline 30 Apr 2026 | 1 articles | Viewed by 710 | Submission Open
Keywords: optical quantum information; quantum communication; quantum optical devices
(This special issue belongs to the Section Quantum Photonics and Technologies)
Terahertz (THz) Science in Photonics
edited by Jiang Li, Qiwu Shi and Yanfeng Li
submission deadline 30 Apr 2026 | Viewed by 269 | Submission Open
Keywords: terahertz sources; THz detectors; THz spectroscopy; THz imaging; metamaterials and metasurfaces; time-resolved terahertz spectroscopy
Advanced Optical Imaging: Techniques and Applications
edited by Ying Ma, and Taiqiang Dai
submission deadline 30 Apr 2026 | Viewed by 218 | Submission Open
Keywords: super-resolution microscopy; computational imaging; adaptive optics; multimodal imaging; in vivo imaging; optical biosensors; industrial inspection
Photonic Integrated Circuits: From Fundamentals to Emerging Technologies
edited by Hua Yang and
submission deadline 30 Apr 2026 | Viewed by 205 | Submission Open
Keywords: photonic integrated circuits (PICs); silicon photonics; integrated optoelectronics; heterogeneous integration; monolithic integration; thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN); III-V/Si hybrid integration; neuromorphic photonics; AI/ML for photonic design; photonic design automation (PDA); quantum photonic circuits; 2D/3D photonic integration/interposer; data center photonics; biophotonics sensing; LiDAR on-chip; energy-efficient photonics; active and passive optical devices; optical coupling and mode transformation; reverse engineering
Advances in Terahertz and Microwave Electromagnetic Manipulation
edited by , and Pei Xiao
submission deadline 30 Apr 2026 | Viewed by 168 | Submission Open
Keywords: minimized/wideband antenna; metamaterials; EIT/Fano; modulation; electromagnetic effect; high-intensity fields; measurement technology
Optical Networks and Their Applications submission deadline 30 Apr 2026 | Viewed by 168 | Submission Open
Keywords: optical networks; optical transmission systems; digital signal processing (DSP); photonic integrated circuits (PICs); software-defined networking; AI/ML in optical communication; Fibre– mmWave– Optical  Wireless  (OW)  convergence; physical-layer security; quantum-safe networking; elastic optical networks; joint communication and sensing; free-space optical communication; 6G transport
Emerging Terahertz Devices and Applications
edited by and Bo Fang
submission deadline 30 Apr 2026 | 1 articles | Viewed by 137 | Submission Open
Keywords: THz metamaterials; THz modulators; THz plasmonic devices; THz dielectric resonators; THz waveguides; THz spectroscopy for cancer detection; THz endoscopy; THz communication; THz radar; machine learning for THz imaging
Light-Based Technologies in Biophotonics
edited by Stephen H. Kim and Andreas H. Hielscher
submission deadline 30 Apr 2026 | Viewed by 98 | Submission Open
Keywords: biophotonics; optical imaging; microscopy; spectroscopy; light-tissue interaction; image reconstruction; numerical methods; physics-driven methods; data-driven methods; photoacoustics
(This special issue belongs to the Section Biophotonics and Biomedical Optics)
Metasurfaces and Meta-Devices: From Fundamentals to Applications
edited by and Tianyue Li
submission deadline 30 Apr 2026 | Viewed by 82 | Submission Open
Keywords: metasurface-enabled multi-dimensional light field control; metasurface-based optical micromanipulation; metalens imaging; metasurfaces for advanced optical communications; heterogeneous metadevice integration; quantum metasurfaces; topological photonic crystals and metasurfaces; nonlocal metasurfaces and BIC; non-Hermitian and PT metasurfaces; metasurface-mediated optical singularities
Advances in Mid-Infrared Laser Science and Technology
edited by Yiwen Shi and
submission deadline 30 Apr 2026 | Viewed by 80 | Submission Open
Keywords: mid-infrared lasers; fiber lasers; nonlinear optics; optical parametric oscillators; rare-earth-doped mid-IR sources; solid-state laser; mid-IR photonics; environmental sensing; biomedical diagnostics; laser materials processing; laser spectroscopy; beam quality optimization; wavelength tunable lasers
(This special issue belongs to the Section Lasers, Light Sources and Sensors)
Ultrafast Laser Nonlinear Dynamics
edited by Xinyang Liu
submission deadline 30 Apr 2026 | Viewed by 71 | Submission Open
Keywords: ultrafast laser; nonlinear material; ultrafast fabrication; ultrafast imaging; laser material; nonlinear dynamics
(This special issue belongs to the Section Lasers, Light Sources and Sensors)
Microwave Photonics: Challenges and Applications
edited by Zeping Zhao
submission deadline 30 Apr 2026 | Viewed by 50 | Submission Open
Keywords: microwave photonics; optoelectronic devices; heterogeneous integration technology; optoelectronic package; system and application
(This special issue belongs to the Section Optical Communication and Network)
Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence for Optical Networks
edited by
submission deadline 30 Apr 2026 | Viewed by 49 | Submission Open
Keywords: optical networks; machine learning; artificial intelligence; optical communication; technology foresight
(This special issue belongs to the Section Optical Communication and Network)
Terahertz Communications in Photonics
edited by Yanyi Wang
submission deadline 1 May 2026 | Viewed by 200 | Submission Open
Keywords: terahertz communications; photonic THz generation; THz-over-fiber; integrated photonic circuits; THz signal processing; millimeter-wave and THz wireless links; THz sensing and imaging
(This special issue belongs to the Section Optical Communication and Network)
Photobiomodulation: Cellular, Molecular, and Clinical Efficacy
edited by Michael Cho
submission deadline 1 May 2026 | Viewed by 85 | Submission Open
Keywords: photobiomodulation; cellular mechanisms; dose– response relationship; tissue repair and regeneration
(This special issue belongs to the Section Biophotonics and Biomedical Optics)
New Perspectives in Biomedical Optics and Optical Imaging
edited by , Xiong Wang and Shuangli Liu
submission deadline 10 May 2026 | 7 articles | Viewed by 19187 | Submission Open
Keywords: optical imaging; terahertz imaging; photoacoustic imaging; photobiomodulation
(This special issue belongs to the Section Biophotonics and Biomedical Optics)
Advanced Optical Fiber Sensors for Harsh Environment Applications
edited by Qi Zhang and
submission deadline 10 May 2026 | 4 articles | Viewed by 9975 | Submission Open
Keywords: fiber-optic sensor; fiber-optic sensing technology; advanced manufacturing technique; structural health monitoring; single-point sensing; ai for optical fiber sensing; distributed sensing; environmental monitoring; harsh environment sensing technique
(This special issue belongs to the Section Lasers, Light Sources and Sensors)
Advancements in High-Power Optical Fibers and Fiber Lasers
edited by and
submission deadline 10 May 2026 | 1 articles | Viewed by 1531 | Submission Open
Keywords: narrow-linewidth; tandem-pumping; stimulated Brillouin scattering; stimulated Raman scattering; transverse modal instability; nonlinear optics; near diffraction limit; fiber Bragg gratings; tilted fiber Bragg gratings
(This special issue belongs to the Section Optoelectronics and Optical Materials)
Bound States in the Continuum in Photonics, Plasmonics, and Terahertz Technology
edited by and Fu Deng
submission deadline 10 May 2026 | 1 articles | Viewed by 1513 | Submission Open
Keywords: bound states in the continuum; optical field enhancement; light-matter interaction; polarization manipulation; metamaterial; nonlinear effect; photonic device; plasmonic device; terahertz device
(This special issue belongs to the Section Optoelectronics and Optical Materials)
Technologies and Applications of Semiconductor Optical Devices
edited by Kunpeng Zhai, and Tengteng Li
submission deadline 11 May 2026 | Viewed by 157 | Submission Open
Keywords: microwave photonics  ; integrated optoelectronics  ; optical modulation  ; RF photonics  ; mmWave systems
Advancements in Terahertz Metamaterial Optics, Devices, and Applications
edited by , Zhang Zhang and
submission deadline 15 May 2026 | 2 articles | Viewed by 3007 | Submission Open
Keywords: plasmonics; THz metasurfaces; biosensing and biosensors; optofluidics; THz photodetectors; dynamic modulators; terahertz non-destructive test
(This special issue belongs to the Section Optical Interaction Science)
The Principle and Application of Photonic Metasurfaces
edited by
submission deadline 15 May 2026 | 3 articles | Viewed by 2907 | Submission Open
Keywords: photonic metasurfaces; principle; application; light manipulation; imaging; sensing; communication; design; fabrication; photonics medicine; optical/photonics devices and system; AI technology
(This special issue belongs to the Section Optical Interaction Science)
Long-Wave Infrared Lasers and Applications
edited by Zhiyong Li and
submission deadline 15 May 2026 | Viewed by 199 | Submission Open
Keywords: long-wave infrared; nonlinear optical frequency conversion; quantum cascade laser; laser annealing; single frequency; wavelength stability; transmission; high peak power
Breakthroughs in Organic Light-Emitting Diodes: Materials, Devices, and Applications
edited by Mangey Ram Nagar and
submission deadline 15 May 2026 | Viewed by 150 | Submission Open
Keywords: thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF); hyperfluorescent emitters; hybridized local and charge-transfer (HLCT) emitters; organic semiconductors; host– guest systems; exciton management; high-efficiency OLEDs; color purity and stability; solution-processed OLEDs; vacuum-deposited OLEDs; charge-transport layers; device engineering and architecture; flexible and transparent OLEDs; display and lighting applications; degradation mechanisms in OLEDs
Advances in Hollow-Core Fiber Technologies and Applications submission deadline 15 May 2026 | Viewed by 76 | Submission Open
Keywords: hollow-core fibers; design; fabrication; sensing; communication; non-linear applications; quantum applications
(This special issue belongs to the Section Optoelectronics and Optical Materials)
Optically-Enhanced Atomic Spin Sensors
edited by and Feng Liu
submission deadline 15 May 2026 | Viewed by 56 | Submission Open
Keywords: atomic spin sensors; electronic spin and nuclear spin; ultra-sensitive measurement; atomic polarization and hyperpolarization; optical detection
(This special issue belongs to the Section Lasers, Light Sources and Sensors)
High-Power Laser Physics and Technology: From Fundamental Strong-Field Interactions to Industrial Applications
edited by and
submission deadline 19 May 2026 | Viewed by 58 | Submission Open
Keywords: high-power laser; strong-field physics; petawatt laser systems; OPCPA; laser-driven acceleration; attosecond science; industrial micromachining; plasma X-ray sources; coherent beam combining; laser-fusion technology
(This special issue belongs to the Section Lasers, Light Sources and Sensors)
Photonic Crystals: Physics and Devices, 2nd Edition
edited by and
submission deadline 20 May 2026 | 5 articles | Viewed by 9360 | Submission Open
Keywords: nanophotonics; topological photonics; photonic crystals; photonic band gaps; metamaterials; metasurfaces; subwavelength gratings; resonances; bound states in the continuum; Goos– Hä nchen shift; photonic spin Hall effect; polaritons; devices
(This special issue belongs to the Section Optoelectronics and Optical Materials)
Advances in Interferometric Optics and Applications
edited by Shanzhi Tang and
submission deadline 20 May 2026 | 2 articles | Viewed by 4566 | Submission Open
Keywords: novel method for optical interferometer; laser heterodyne/homodyne interferometer; grating interferometer; picometer/nanometer-level dimensional metrology; interferometric optical component; optomechanical design; optic– electronic detection techniques; data processing
(This special issue belongs to the Section Optical Interaction Science)
Spectroscopy of Hot Atomic Vapor
edited by Thierry Passerat De Silans, and João Carlos de Aquino Carvalho
submission deadline 20 May 2026 | Viewed by 184 | Submission Open
Keywords: hot vapors as sensors; lights scattering by hot vapors; coherent effects; non-linear optics; quantum manipulations; Rydberg atoms
Advances in Raman Spectroscopy
edited by Jeewan C. Ranasinghe
submission deadline 20 May 2026 | Viewed by 130 | Submission Open
Keywords: Raman spectroscopy; surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS); tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (TERS); coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS); graphene-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (GERS); nanomaterials in spectroscopy; machine learning for spectral analysis; multimodal spectroscopy; biomedical and environmental applications
Advances in Meta-Devices and Their Applications
edited by and Zhiyong Li
submission deadline 20 May 2026 | Viewed by 37 | Submission Open
Keywords: on-chip-integrated devices; meta-devices; metamaterial; metasurface and metalens; wavefront shaping; inverse design; nanofabrication
(This special issue belongs to the Section Optical Interaction Science)
Photonic Metasurfaces: Advances and Applications
edited by
submission deadline 20 May 2026 | Viewed by 28 | Submission Open
Keywords: multidimensional optical modulation; structural color; polarimetry and polarization imaging; biosensing metasurface; metalens; multispectral/hyperspectral imaging; augmented/virtual reality optics via metasurface; edge detection; structural light
(This special issue belongs to the Section Optical Interaction Science)
Advanced Optical Fiber Communication
edited by , Fang Wei and
submission deadline 25 May 2026 | Viewed by 87 | Submission Open
Keywords: optical fibers; space-division multiplexing; coherent detection; digital signal processing; intelligent optical networks; advanced modulation formats; high-capacity optical communication; optical amplifiers
(This special issue belongs to the Section Optical Communication and Network)
Advanced Fiber Laser Technology and Its Application: 2nd Edition
edited by , Peng Liu, , Shanzhe Wang, Jun He and Yanwen Jiang
submission deadline 28 May 2026 | 1 articles | Viewed by 501 | Submission Open
Keywords: simulations and studies of fiber laser dynamics; temporal and modal fluctuations; mode-locked; Q-switched and Gain-switched fiber lasers; continuous wave fiber lasers; single-cycle fiber lasers and fiber-laser-based Frequency Combs; nonlinearity-based fiber lasers (Raman; Brillouin; supercontinuum; etc.); high-energy pulsed fiber lasers; high-power fiber lasers; including multiple laser combining; single-frequency fiber lasers; multi-wavelength fiber lasers; multi-core fiber lasers (coherent; incoherent); novel fiber materials and structures for fiber lasers; micro/nano structure fabrication; lasers for biophotonics; robotics; machine vision and microscopy
(This special issue belongs to the Section Lasers, Light Sources and Sensors)
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