SPECIAL SECTION
CELEBRATING 75 YEARS OF AP-S INNOVATION

In celebration of the 75th Anniversary of the IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society (AP-S), the IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation (TAP) presents a Special Section of invited articles highlighting innovation and future directions in the antennas and propagation field.
The Special Section features a collection of comprehensive and visionary reviews that span a broad spectrum of topics, from fundamental electromagnetic theory to cutting-edge applications, showcasing key advances in metamaterials, metasurfaces, array design, optimization, additive manufacturing, and next-generation wireless systems.
We invite you to dive into this exclusive collection and discover how foundational electromagnetic principles continue to drive innovation across communications, sensing, imaging, radar, space exploration, biomedical, and energy applications, reflecting the enduring breadth and impact of the antennas and propagation community.
Additively Manufactured FHE-Enabled Antennas and Reconfigurable/Phased Antenna Arrays for Communications, Sensing, and Energy Harvesting
This review article focuses on additively manufactured RF electronics and showcases innovations in printed phased arrays, morphing and origami antennas, and flexible energy-harvesting modules, enabling scalable, cost-effective, and sustainable communication ecosystems for 5G, IoT, smart cities, and beyond. It concludes with a vision for AM-enabled systems that seamlessly integrate communication, sensing, and energy harvesting into adaptive, multifunctional platforms.
Emerging Technologies in Intelligent Metasurfaces: Shaping the Future of Wireless Communications
Intelligent metasurfaces offer innovative approaches to revolutionize wireless communications by manipulating the properties of electromagnetic waves. The development of reconfigurable, stacked, and flexible 3D metasurfaces opens up new possibilities for adapting wireless propagation and enabling signal processing in the wave domain.
A Comprehensive Review of Optimization Techniques in Electromagnetics: Past, Present, and Future
This paper highlights the vital role of modern optimization techniques in addressing complex, multi-parameter challenges in antenna and electromagnetic device design. Through a structured overview and practical insights, it guides researchers and engineers toward enhanced performance and innovation in advanced electromagnetic and optical systems with diverse applications.
Metasurfaces and Metamaterials for Electromagnetics
In the past two and more decades, metamaterials have been pushing forward a new paradigm for electromagnetics research, highly relevant to the antennas and propagation community, enabling several breakthroughs in the control over electromagnetic waves. In this review, we discuss the history, recent progress and impact of metamaterials and metasurfaces at large.
A Comprehensive Review On Tightly Coupled Dipole Arrays
This review article presents tightly-coupled dipole arrays (TCDAs) as a leading ultra-wideband antenna solution for addressing growing spectrum congestion. By replacing multiple narrowband antennas with a single low-profile, efficient UWB aperture, TCDAs reduce system size, weight, power, and cost. The review covers their operating principles and key advances from the early 2000s to today.
Fundamentals of Antenna Bandwidth and Quality Factor
This review article presents robust, field-based antenna quality factors consistent with input-impedance methods and independent of coordinates or extra reactances. It improves lower bounds beyond Chu/CR limits, relates maximum gain to minimum Q for spherical antennas, and shows how dispersive tuning can further reduce Q.







