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

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.