Date: August 27, 2026
Speaker: Vaibhav Mehta, Ph.D. Student, Cornell Bowers
Title: λλ: A Programming Language for Silicon Photonics
Abstract: We present λλ, a programming language for silicon photonics. λλ uses a linear type system to encode the physical constraints of optics, rejecting unrealizable programs at compile time. The compiler lowers well-typed programs to a graph-based intermediate representation, then solves a constrained embedding problem to map these graphs onto arbitrary silicon photonic switch targets while minimizing signal loss. We validate λλ on a commercial photonic switch, demonstrating correct operation for circuit switching, time-varying rotor switching and analog in-network computation. Across various hardware targets and programs, the λλ compiler scales to silicon photonic switches with over 100,000 programmable elements and handles switch programs with 128 input-output pairs. Finally, we develop a synthesizer to automatically generate λλ programs from high-level specifications, allowing users to program photonic hardware without reasoning about optical primitives.
Link: https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3789240.3829151
Bio: Mehta is a Computer Science Ph.D. student at Cornell University, advised by Justin Hsu. He is broadly interested in programming languages, formal methods, and their applications across domains.
Before Cornell, He was an undergraduate at Princeton University, where he had the privilege of working with David Walker and Zak Kincaid. In the summer of 2022, He interned at ETH Zurich under Peter Müller.