ABSTRACT
In this chapter, we introduce the main concepts and approaches that
are relevant for the engineering of aperiodic order in nanophotonics.
In particular, by providing a large number of selected examples,
we discuss the structural properties of optical nanostructures with
Fourier spectral features that interpolate in a tunable fashion
between periodic crystals and disordered random media, referred
to as deterministic aperiodic nanostructures (DANS). This chapter
broadly describes the conceptual framework of aperiodic order for
the manipulation of optical fields and scattering phenomena in
complex systems, and it serves as a general introduction to the
many fascinating structures and optical devices later presented in
the book.
