Advances in Epsilon-Near-Zero Photonics

Dear Colleagues,

For nearly two decades, the field of epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) photonics, which centers on materials with near-zero refractive index or permittivity, has experienced remarkable growth. Pioneering theoretical work sparked this interest, leading to subsequent research that revealed intriguing light–matter interactions. These interactions hold the potential to revolutionize our control of light. Notable breakthroughs include tunneling and squeezing of electromagnetic energy through subwavelength channels and waveguide bends, extreme nonlinearities, high harmonic generation, photonic doping, and frequency conversions in time-varying ENZ media.

This Special Issue provides a unique platform for researchers to share their latest findings and engage in a critical dialogue on shaping the future of ENZ photonics. We seek original research articles, reviews, and perspectives that address novel ENZ material development and fabrication techniques, fundamental research on light–matter interactions within these materials, and the design and development of ENZ-based devices for applications in nonlinear and quantum optics, optical imaging and sensing, energy harvesting, and ultrafast integrated photonics.

Submissions are invited across several key areas:

• Novel ENZ Materials: We welcome research on innovative approaches to reduce losses and achieve functionalities within ENZ materials.
• Fundamental ENZ Interactions: Research exploring new phenomena arising from light–matter interaction at the ENZ frequency is encouraged.
• ENZ-Based Photonic Devices: We seek demonstrations of ENZ materials’ capabilities in light manipulation, nanoscale signal processing, nonlinear and quantum photonics.

We aim to publish high-quality research that significantly progresses the theoretical foundation and practical aspects of ENZ photonics.

We look forward to receiving your submissions.

Dr. Aleksei Anopchenko
Dr. Howard (Ho Wai) Lee
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 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.

• zero-index materials
• epsilon-near-zero
• nanophotonics
• plasmonics
• nonlinear optics
• optical metasurfaces
• metamaterials
• light–matter interaction
• electromagnetics