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The following papers are based on the fifth “Workshop on Numerical Methods for Optical Nanostructures,” which took place in July 2009 at ETH Zurich. On the corresponding web site (http://alphard. ethz. ch/hafner/Workshop/Workshop2009. htm) one my find the abstracts of all presentations and a selection of full presentations. As in the previous year, the workshop had a strong focus on plasmonic nano structures, which is of still increasing scientific interest. It has become evident that the numerical modeling of plasmonic nano particles is very demanding. Even in the case of most simple geometry, ie, spherical shape, strong interaction of particles with thin gaps in between, particles interacting strongly with a substrate, and triple points where particles touch a substrate may cause strong numerical problems. As a consequence, numerical methods that are well tested and suited for dielectric particles may become …