Classical and quantum optics in photonics mesh lattice

The growing demand for scalable and fault-tolerant platforms for classical and quantum information processing drives the search for integrated photonic systems tolerant of coherence constraints and architectural limitations. This thesis investigates the photonic mesh lattice (PML), a dynamically modulated, fiber-based architecture employing time-division multiplexing, as a robust and reconfigurable testbed for classical and quantum wave dynamics. The research addresses bottlenecks in existing technologies, such as reliance on bulky interferometric setups and lack of scalable architectures, by demonstrating a compact, fiber-loop-based system with dynamic coupling control. In the classical regime, the PML enables stable propagation of coherent light pulses over thousands of kilometers with minimal signal degradation. Losses are mitigated using optical amplifiers, while amplitude and phase modulation provide tunable control over signal dynamics. Results show the system supports long-distance propagation with high signal integrity, establishing the PML as a candidate for classical photonic networks and long-haul communication. In the quantum domain, the PML facilitates generation, manipulation, and interference of time-bin entangled photon pairs across multiple temporal dimensions. Dynamically reconfigurable coupling allows loophole-free quantum interference measurements and scalable quantum walks, enabling protocols such as quantum phase estimation, boson sampling, and high-dimensional entanglement processing. The fiber-based structure, compatible with telecom components, ensures economic viability and experimental accessibility. Beyond demonstrated applications, the PML opens doors to novel regimes, including simulation of synthetic gauge fields and optical trapping dynamics. This work contributes to unified optical platforms by integrating dynamic control, high-dimensional scalability, and robust signal processing in a compact architecture.