Introduction to the Issue on Photonics for Environmental Sensing

The IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics (JSTQE) Issue on Photonics for Environmental Sensing's objective is to highlight recent progress in innovative sensing technologies through both invited and contributed papers. The papers provide overviews of the current status and future trends, as well as original results and recent developments, in photonics for environmental sensing. The techniques described encompass coherent and noncoherent light sources, fiber, lab-on-a-chip, and discrete laser technology, in single and networked sensors. The applications are wide-ranging, from food and air quality monitoring to insect studies.