Complex coordinates in transformation optics

We show that complex coordinates used in conjunction with transformation optics offer an extra degree of freedom that allows control over not only the propagation direction of electromagnetic waves but also their amplitude. We illustrate this idea in two applications. First, we show that in an n-dimensional space one can manipulate the field amplitude for up to n different amplitude distributions in regions that are critical to the performance of the device under consideration, and thus reduce the device’s sensitivity to design imperfections in these regions. Second, we expand previous work on reflectionless perfectly matched layers and show how complex coordinates and transformation optics are a natural choice for designing perfectly matched layers of arbitrary shape.