Advances in Structured Light: Propagation, Scattering, and Applications

Dear Colleagues,

Structured light has emerged as a powerful tool for manipulating and understanding complex optical phenomena, revolutionizing various fields ranging from imaging and microscopy to communication and material science. This Special Issue aims to highlight recent advancements in structured light research, focusing on its propagation, scattering, and multifaceted applications and providing valuable insights into the underlying physics and engineering involved.

The propagation of structured light involves the generation, manipulation, and transmission of structured light with precisely tailored spatial or spectral structures. Furthermore, the propagation and scattering of structured light play a crucial role in understanding light–matter interactions in complex media, enabling the development of new imaging and sensing techniques and the exploration of fundamental phenomena.

Moreover, this Special Issue will also showcase the diverse applications enabled by structured light. Optical communications, for instance, greatly benefit from structured light, as it enables increased data capacity and enhanced security measures. Imaging techniques such as optical coherence tomography and fluorescence microscopy also derive significant advantages from structured light illumination, resulting in improved resolution and contrast. Furthermore, structured light finds applications in optical trapping and manipulation, laser material processing, and quantum information science, further exemplifying its versatility and potential.

Dr. Mingjian Cheng
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.

• structured light
• propagation
• scattering
• optical turbulence
• light–matter interactions
• imaging techniques
• optical communications
• optical trapping
• laser material processing
• quantum information science