Photonic network

A photonic system comprising:

• a photonic mesh comprising a first array of N input light guiding units located in a first plane and arranged in a spaced-apart substantially parallel relationship along a first axis, and a second array of M output light guiding units located in a second plane and arranged in a spaced-apart substantially parallel relationship along a second axis intersecting with the first axis, therefore defining an N×M matrix of nodes;
• and
• the N×M matrix of optical couplers accommodated at said nodes, respectively,
• wherein each of said optical couplers is configured for coupling a portion of an input light signal from the input light guiding unit into the output light guiding unit at the respective node, and each of said optical couplers is configured as a tunable modulation structure being controllably switchable between various operative states by application of a tuning field, being an electric field or a light field, configured as a weighting signal to effect a corresponding intensity modulation of the portion of the light signal being coupled from the input light guiding unit into the output light guiding unit by said optical coupler.