Surface nanopatterns induced by ion-beam sputtering

2 pages, no figures.-- Foreword to Special Section containing Papers on Surface Nanopatterns induced by Ion-Beam Sputtering (J. Phys.: Condens. Matter, 2009, vol 21, n 22, Guest editors: Rodolfo Cuerno, Luis Vázquez, Raúl Gago and Mario Castro).Full-text available Open Access at the journal site.Reports on the production of submicron and nanometric patterns on the surfaces of solid targets eroded by ion irradiation (sputtering) at low and medium energies date back to at least the 1960s with the pioneering works by Cunningham et al [1] and Navez et al [2]. However, only with the advent of high resolution tools for surface and interface characterization was the high potential of this procedure recognized as a method for efficient production of well ordered surface patterns.Surface nanopatterning by ion-beam sputtering (IBS) is still an open, thriving field, and we hope that the present special issue conveys a representative view of what has been learnt during this time, and the issues that remain open and drive most current efforts.Publicad