Photon avalanche triggered by a single photon in a bistable nonlinear optical cavity

• URL: http://arxiv.org/abs/2606.27555v1
• Date: Thu, 25 Jun 2026 21:10:34 GMT
• Title: Photon avalanche triggered by a single photon in a bistable nonlinear optical cavity
• Abstract summary: We study the quantum dynamics of single-photon-stimulated jumps from the low-photon-number to the high-photon-number state of the optical bistability loop.<n>We find that the system can exhibit a giant response to this single quantum of excitation, rooted in the phase-transition picture of optical bistability.
• Score: 0.0
• License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Abstract: We theoretically investigate the response of a coherently-driven nonlinear optical cavity to an additional incident single photon. Using a quantum description of the nonlinear dynamics that fully accounts for the quantum fluctuations of the cavity field and for the discrete nature of the incident photon, we characterize the quantum dynamics of single-photon-stimulated jumps from the low-photon-number to the high-photon-number state of the optical bistability loop. We find that the system can exhibit a giant response to this single quantum of excitation, rooted in the phase-transition picture of optical bistability. In addition to shedding light on the role of quantum fluctuations in the non-equilibrium dynamics of a nonlinear optical cavity, our results suggest a strategy for an all-optical single-photon avalanche detector.

Related papers

• Nonreciprocal quantum photon-pair source with chiral ferroelectric nematics [9.15495359361234]
  We experimentally implement a highly-efficient nonreciprocal quantum photon source in a micro/nano-scale helical structured nonlinear optical fluid.<n>We demonstrate up to 22.6 dB isolation in biphoton generation coupled with nonreciprocal quantum polarization states, while maintaining classical optical reciprocity.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2025-03-14T13:42:30Z)
• How single-photon nonlinearity is quenched with multiple quantum emitters: Quantum Zeno effect in collective interactions with $\Lambda$-level atoms [49.1574468325115]
  We show that the single-photon nonlinearity vanishes with the number of emitters. The mechanism behind this behavior is the quantum Zeno effect, manifested in the slowdown of the photon-controlled dynamics.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2024-01-13T06:55:18Z)
• Maximally efficient biphoton generation by single photon decay in nonlinear quantum photonic circuits [0.0]
  We show that the well-known critical coupling concept of integrated optics can be generalized to the nonlinear coupling of quantized photon modes. We establish a fundamental upper limit on the nonlinear generation efficiency of quantum-correlated photons.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2023-09-16T22:49:53Z)
• Quantum correlated photons via a passive nonlinear microcavity [1.0753191494611891]
  We create non-classical photon correlations, including photon anti-bunching, via a passive InGaP photonic integrated circuit. Our work opens a new route in controlling quantum light by harnessing highly-engineerable bulk optical nonlinearities.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2023-04-23T15:02:36Z)
• Single photon optical bistability [55.2480439325792]
  We investigate the bistability in a small Fabry-Perot interferometer (FPI) with the optical wavelength size cavity, the nonlinear Kerr medium and only a few photons, on average, excited by the external quantum field. Multiple stationary states of the FPI cavity field with different spectra are possible at realistic conditions, for example, in the FPI with the photonic crystal cavity and the semiconductor-doped glass nonlinear medium.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2023-04-15T10:44:51Z)
• Quantum vortices of strongly interacting photons [52.131490211964014]
  Vortices are hallmark of nontrivial dynamics in nonlinear physics. We report on the realization of quantum vortices resulting from a strong photon-photon interaction in a quantum nonlinear optical medium. For three photons, the formation of vortex lines and a central vortex ring attests to a genuine three-photon interaction.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2023-02-12T18:11:04Z)
• Nonclassical correlated optical multistability at low photon level for cavity electromagnetically induced transparency [3.230778132936486]
  We study the nonequilibrium dynamic behaviors in a driven-dissipative single-atom cavity electromagnetically induced transparency. We show that the nonequilibrium dynamical phase transition between bistability and multistability is highly tunable by the system parameters.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2022-12-07T01:57:43Z)
• Self-Ordering of Individual Photons in Waveguide QED and Rydberg-Atom Arrays [0.548253258922555]
  We study the propagation of light through an optical waveguide that is chirally coupled to three-level quantum emitters. We show that the additional laser-coupling to a third emitter state not only permits to control the properties of the bound state but can even eliminate it entirely. We demonstrate this emerging photon-photon repulsion by analysing the quantum dynamics of multiple photons in large emitter arrays.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2021-10-25T13:55:10Z)
• Enhanced generation of non-degenerate photon-pairs in nonlinear metasurfaces [55.41644538483948]
  Non-degenerate photon-pair generation can enable orders-of-surface enhancement of the photon rate and spectral brightness. We show that the entanglement of the photon-pairs can be tuned by varying the pump polarization, which can underpin future advances and applications of ultra-compact quantum light sources.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2021-04-15T08:20:17Z)
• Inelastic scattering of a photon by a quantum phase-slip [0.0]
  We show that a quantum phase-slip fluctuation in high-impedance superconducting waveguides can split a single microwave photon into a large number of lower-energy photons. The measured decay rates are explained without adjustable parameters in the framework of a new model of a quantum impurity in a Luttinger liquid.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2020-10-05T15:35:21Z)
• Optical repumping of resonantly excited quantum emitters in hexagonal boron nitride [52.77024349608834]
  We present an optical co-excitation scheme which uses a weak non-resonant laser to reduce transitions to a dark state and amplify the photoluminescence from quantum emitters in hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) Our results are important for the deployment of atom-like defects in hBN as reliable building blocks for quantum photonic applications.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2020-09-11T10:15:22Z)
• Quantum nonlinear metasurfaces [68.8204255655161]
  We outline a general quantum theory of spontaneous photon-pair generation in arbitrary nonlinear photonic structures. We discuss the first experimental results demonstrating photon-pair generation in a single nonlinear nanoantenna.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2020-08-22T14:57:24Z)

This list is automatically generated from the titles and abstracts of the papers in this site.

This site does not guarantee the quality of this site (including all information) and is not responsible for any consequences.