Nahvi, EhsanLiberal Olleta, ÍñigoEngheta, Nader2021-03-172021-08-1520201539-4794 (Electronic)10.1364/OL.400438https://academica-e.unavarra.es/handle/2454/39438Introducing a dielectric inclusion inside an epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) host has been shown to dramatically affect the effective permeability of the host for a TM-polarized incident wave, a concept coined as photonic doping [Science 355, 1058 (2017)]. Here, we theoretically study the prospect of doping the ENZ host with infinitesimally thin perfect electric conductor (PEC) inclusions, which we call 'zero-area' PEC dopants. First, we theoretically demonstrate that zero-area PEC dopants enable the design of soft surfaces with an arbitrary cross-sectional geometry. Second, we illustrate the possibility of engineering the PEC dopants with the goal of transforming the electric field distribution inside the ENZ while maintaining a spatially invariant magnetic field. We exploit this property to enhance the effective nonlinearity of the ENZ host.6 p.application/pdfeng© 2020 Optical Society of America. One print or electronic copy may be made for personal use only. Systematic reproduction and distribution, duplication of any material in this paper for a fee or for commercial purposes, or modifications of the content of this paper are prohibited.Electric fieldsMagnetic fieldsNonlinear opticsReflection coefficientSurfacesTransformation opticsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess