Computational Nanophotonics explores in silico the interaction of light with structured materials. It does so out of intellectual curiosity but also to perceive applications of societal importance. Even though a 25-year experience says that the time that elapses from submitting a job to a computer system until it is executed remains constant, despite all the advances in hardware- and software, the type of systems that can be explored has changed drastically over time.
Whereas a long time ago, rather macroscopic dielectric structures in a simplified setting, e.g., in 2D, and with a restricted spatial extent were considered, we can nowadays study light in macroscopically large (many tens and even hundreds of wavelengths) 3D geometries while considering details at the nanoscale. Moreover, we can even solve inverse problems. It suggests that we can not just study the optical response of a given structure, but also identify the structure that offers a predefined optical response.
Even more fascinating, seamless multiscale modeling techniques have recently been developed where quantum chemical tools are used to study individual molecules' properties and consider them afterward in the design of macroscopically large photonic devices.
This presentation will sketch these larger trends in computational photonics along the lines discussed above and highlight future research directions.
