Optical super-oscillations: sub-wavelength light focusing and super-resolution imaging

Optical super-oscillations, first predicted in 1952 and observed in 2007, offer a promising route to optical super-resolution imaging and show potential for manufacturing with light and data-storage applications such as direct optical recording and heat assisted magnetic recording. We review the history and basic physics behind the phenomenon of super-oscillation and its application in optics. We overview recent results in creating optical super-oscillations using binary masks, spatial light modulators and planar metamaterial masks. We also investigate the limits and competitiveness of super-oscillatory imaging.