ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to introduce the developments, basic theories, core techniques, real-world applications, and future directions for the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method. It reviews the unified theoretical frameworks of the FDTD method and its advances for solving Maxwell’s. The chapter describes core techniques of the FDTD method and focuses on those for nano-optics applications. It demonstrates powerful capabilities of the FDTD method to model versatile physical problems in the nano-optics field. The chapter explains the numerical analyses and presents implementations of the FDTD method to simulate the Schrodinger equation. It shows several simple examples on the numerical solution of quantum physics problems with the FDTD method. The chapter explores plasmonic effects in various nano-optics applications. Artificially engineered metamaterials have attracted much attention due to their interesting properties not attainable in naturally occurring materials, such as negative refraction, cloaking, and electromagnetically induced transparency.
