1996 / Numerical method
Lifeng Li
Derives rules for factorizing Fourier coefficients of products with jump discontinuities.
Summary & commentary →: Use of Fourier series in the analysis of discontinuous periodic structures 2010 / Numerical method
L. Ge, Y. D. Chong & A. D. Stone
Uses self-consistent steady-state laser equations and a threshold constant-flux basis.
Summary & commentary →: Steady-state ab initio laser theory: Generalizations and analytic results 2022 / Numerical method
Z. Zhu & C. Zheng
Uses a higher-order perturbative expansion and adaptive longitudinal discretization.
Summary & commentary →: VarRCWA: An Adaptive High-Order Rigorous Coupled Wave Analysis Method 2022 / Numerical method
W. Yao, F. Verdugo, R. E. Christiansen & S. G. Johnson
Expresses emission as a trace and exploits low-rank structure.
Summary & commentary →: Trace formulation for photonic inverse design with incoherent sources 2023 / Numerical method
M. F. Schubert & A. M. Hammond
Uses vector FMM, shared linear algebra, Brillouin-zone integration and automatic differentiation.
Summary & commentary →: Fourier modal method for inverse design of metasurface-enhanced micro-LEDs 2024 / Numerical method
Y. Huang, Z. Zhu, Y. Dong, H. Tang, B. Zheng, V. A. Podolskiy & H. Zhang
Implements differentiable rigorous diffraction interface theory with GPU-friendly operations.
Summary & commentary →: Eigendecomposition-free inverse design of meta-optics devices 2024 / Numerical method
S. Li, H.-C. Lin & C. W. Hsu
Uses augmented partial factorization to share computation across scattering responses and derivatives.
Summary & commentary →: Fast Multichannel Inverse Design through Augmented Partial Factorization 2024 / Numerical method
S. Zanotti, M. Minkov, D. Nigro, D. Gerace, S. Fan & L. C. Andreani
Expands fields in guided modes and adds symmetry, radiation and excitonic coupling treatments.
Summary & commentary →: Legume: A free implementation of the guided-mode expansion method for photonic crystal slabs 2025 / Numerical method
K. V. Nikolaev, V. Soltwisch, M. A. Botchev, A. Fernández Herrero, P. Hönicke, F. Scholze & S. N. Yakunin
Unifies Fourier-modal and dynamical-diffraction ideas with polygonal profile descriptions.
Summary & commentary →: Polygon-based unified Fourier-modal approach for diffractive-optics simulations 2025 / Theory & simulation
Aleksei Belonovskii, Elizaveta Girshova, Erkki Lähderanta & Mikhail Kaliteevski
Trains transformer models on simulated Fabry–Pérot, DBR and VCSEL configurations.
Summary & commentary →: Predicting VCSEL Emission Properties using Transformer Neural Networks 2026 / Numerical method
F. Van der Ceelen, Y. Shao & W. Coene
Replaces eigendecomposition with matrix-square-root and matrix-exponential evaluations.
Summary & commentary →: Matrix Square Root Based Differentiable RCWA Implementation for High-Performance Parallel Computing 2026 / Numerical methodPreprint
E. Yang, Q. Song & W. Cai
Builds scattering operators from boundary fields instead of internal eigenmodes.
Summary & commentary →: Differentiable eigendecomposition-free RCWA for full-tensor anisotropic photonics 2026 / Theory & simulationPreprint
E. Prehn & P. Jung
Projects predicted scattering outputs onto a manifold that enforces energy conservation.
Summary & commentary →: Physics-constrained neural networks for surrogate modeling of lossless periodic structures 2026 / Theory & simulation
Liav Hen, Erez Yosef, Dan Raviv, Raja Giryes & Jacob Scheuer
Trains on RCWA data, then uses guided sampling or conventional optimization to refine candidates.
Summary & commentary →: Inverse Design of Diffractive Metasurfaces Using Diffusion Models 2026 / Numerical method
B. Martinez de Aguirre Jokisch, A. Cerjan, R. E. Christiansen, J. Mørk, O. Sigmund & S. G. Johnson
Combines SALT, high-Q perturbation theory and coupled-mode theory into a reciprocal-solve objective.
Summary & commentary →: Efficient First-Principles Inverse Design of Nanolasers