Systems and methods for analog computing using a linear photonic processor

A photonic processor configured to perform a matrix-vector multiplication operation between an input vector and a matrix, the photonic processor comprising:

• a first plurality of optical modulators configured to generate first optical signals by each encoding a value of a vector element of the input vector into one of a plurality of received input optical signals, wherein received input optical signals have different wavelengths;
• a second plurality of optical modulators, each optically coupled to an optical modulator of the first plurality of optical modulators and configured to generate second optical signals by encoding values of matrix elements of the matrix into the first optical signals;
• a first plurality of optical combiners each optically coupled to an output of an optical modulator of the second plurality of optical modulators, the first plurality of optical combiners configured to generate a first combined optical signal using the second optical signals;
• and
• a first optical detector optically coupled to an output of the first plurality of optical combiners and configured to generate a first photocurrent based on the first combined optical signal, the first photocurrent representing a portion of the matrix-vector multiplication operation.