Programmable Integrated Photonics for Classical Applications

Programmable photonics can also be applied to classical systems. While these systems rely mainly on pure fixed application-specific photonic circuits, the advantages of programmability are decisive when systems grow in complexity. This chapter reviews application areas where programmable photonics can enable technology: optical switching interconnection and routing to provide myriad powerful solutions that encompass broadcasting and wavelength selective operation; artificial intelligence (AI) and neurocomputing to enables the implementation of reconfigurable analogue cores required for the operation of neural networks and neurophotonic systems. Microwave and analogue photonics are particularly appealing areas which require substantial cost reductions and broadband operation flexibility simultaneous with most of the required functionalities in a single chip, which span 5G communications, satellite payloads, electromagnetic and photonic radar, Internet of Things and autonomous driving. Finally, it covers optical signal processing, including examples in signal filtering and sensing, controllable Talbot effect and more speculative futuristic applications, e.g. synthetic domains.