Optical Systems and Design

A special issue of Photonics (ISSN 2304-6732).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 July 2025 | Viewed by 196

Special Issue Editor

Key Laboratory of Light Field Manipulation and Information Acquisition Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Optical Information Technology, School of Physical Science and Technology, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, China
Interests: optical design; diffractive optics; hybrid optical system design; metalens-based imaging optical system design

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Traditional optical imaging systems have long relied on the complexity of lens surfaces, intricate structures, and specialized materials for aberration correction to achieve precise focusing and imaging capabilities. However, these requirements often result in optical systems being complicated, cumbersome, and ill suited to meet the demands for miniaturization, lightweighting, and integration that characterize modern optical technologies. Additionally, the complexity of the optical designs imposes significant challenges on the processing equipment and techniques employed in the manufacturing of optical elements. In recent years, advances in optical imaging theory and precision optical fabrication have driven rapid progress in optical systems and design. Notably, developments in free-form optics, diffractive optics, metalens-based optics, and computational imaging have significantly enhanced this field. These can not only improve the performance and imaging quality of optical systems but also facilitate optimized structural designs. Additionally, this allows for greater flexibility in spatial arrangements, positioning these innovations as vital solutions for achieving the miniaturization, lightweighting, and integration of contemporary optical imaging systems.

In this regard, the journal Photonics is announcing a special topic on "Optical Systems and Design," seeking original research papers from experts and scholars to showcase the latest academic advancements and research developments in this field, fostering scientific collaboration and academic exchange. For this Special Issue, we welcome original research and comments that introduce the recent advances in adaptive optics from computational, experimental, theoretical, and numerical perspectives, including, but not limited to, the following:

  • Novel optical imaging principles and system design;
  • Imaging systems, image fabrication, and displays;
  • Freeform optical design, fabrication, and inspection;
  • Diffractive optics design, fabrication, and inspection;
  • Diffractive-refractive/reflective hybrid optical system design, fabrication, and inspection;
  • Metalens-based optical system design and fabrication;
  • Optical-digital hybrid optical system design.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Shan Mao
Guest Editor

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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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.

Keywords

  • optical design
  • diffractive optics
  • hybrid optical system design
  • metalens-based imaging optical system design

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Published Papers

This special issue is now open for submission.
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