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All-optical modulation with single photons using an electron avalanche
Demid V Sychev1,2,3, Peigang Chen4,5,6, Yuheng Chen4,5,6
1Birck Nanotechnology Center, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA. sychev@purdue.edu.
Nature Nanotechnology
|November 17, 2025
Summary
Researchers achieved all-optical modulation of refractive index using single photons and silicon
Area of Science:
- Optics and Photonics
- Quantum Information Technologies
- Materials Science
Background:
- Light's properties (speed, low loss, low crosstalk, low power) are ideal for communications and quantum technologies.
- Weak optical nonlinearity in conventional materials limits light control at low intensities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate all-optical modulation of refractive index using single-photon light intensities.
- To overcome the limitations of weak optical nonlinearity in conventional materials.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the electron avalanche process in silicon.
- Employed a control beam with single-photon light intensities for modulation.
Main Results:
- Achieved all-optical modulation of the refractive index.
- Observed an extremely high nonlinear refractive index (n2 ≈ 1.3 × 10⁻² m²/W).
- The observed nonlinearity is orders of magnitude higher than existing nonlinear optical materials.
Conclusions:
- Single-photon light modulation enables gigahertz-frequency optical switching.
- This breakthrough is crucial for developing advanced on-chip photonic and quantum devices operating at room temperature.
