Trace formulation for photonic inverse design with incoherent sources

Abstract Spatially incoherent light sources, such as spontaneously emitting atoms, naively require Maxwell’s equations to be solved many times obtain the total emission, which becomes computationally intractable in conjunction with large-scale optimization (inverse design). We present a trace formulation of emission that can efficiently combined inverse design, even for topology over thousands design degrees freedom. Our includes previous reciprocity-based approaches, limited few output channels (e.g., normal emission), special cases but generalizes continuum directions by exploiting low-rank structure problems. several examples incoherent-emission optimization, including tailoring geometry fluorescent particles, periodically surface, and into waveguide mode, well discussing future applications problems Raman sensing cathodoluminescence.