Microwave Photonics-Double Magic [From the Guest Editor's Desk

Abstract

The articles in this special section focus on microwave photonics, a multidisciplinary field fusing the magic of microwaves and photonics to explore the rich interactions between RF waves and lightwaves in materials, devices, subsystems, systems, and even in networks. The field is about to see disruptive effects as software-definable interfaces and programmable, fully integrated microwave photonic circuits and systems become a real possibility. RF systems are facing a significant increase in bandwidth as well as the frequencies on which they operate, shifting from microwaves to millimeter-wave frequencies, and even to terahertz frequencies for certain applications. Similarly, photonics has seen progress by leaps and bounds with the rapid growth of optical communications and networks assisted by the recent maturity of optoelectronic integrated circuit technologies. With a rich history of pioneering experiments, starting as early as the 1970s, the field has experienced a consistent renewal, as the persistent search for new and innovative ways to exploit the interaction between RF and lightwaves has often been reinvigorated by parallel developments in electronics and photonics and, more recently, developments in software-engineering–enabled embedded systems.