While lasers were the initial focus of this publication, the first issue in 1965 also included a long piece on imaging in the form of laser-based holograms. Electronic imaging increased in importance following the invention of the CCD in 1969, and so we broadened our coverage and eventually acquired Electro-Optical Systems Design magazine. In the days before the term "photonics" was widely used, we became Laser Focus, the Magazine of Electro-Optics Technology.
This publication history and the interwoven story of advances in imaging are detailed in an article this month by contributing editor Jeff Hecht (see page 21)—part of his year-long Looking Back/Looking Forward series on photonics products and technologies over our 50 years of publishing. Coverage of the ongoing revolution in cameras, detectors, and imaging continues in two other articles in this issue. Senior editor John Wallace surveys developments in quantum-well infrared photodetectors (QWIPs) for long-wave infrared imaging (see page 39). And Gregory Slobodzian at Ophir-Spiricon describes best practices for characterizing laser beam modes with a CCD camera (see page 35).
Imaging is central to biophotonics and the advances have been visually stunning, to say the least. Our BioOptics World section has two features that capture the latest developments. Bülent Peker at Olympus Europa describes how the use of a confocal scanning microscope may help diagnose diabetic neuropathy (see page 58). John Wingerd at Siskiyou writes about using microscopes for optogenetics (see page 62).
The story of cameras, detectors, and imaging is long and rich indeed, and we have lived to tell the tale.
