Driven-dissipative quantum Kerr resonators: new exact solutions, photon blockade and quantum bistability

We present a new approach for deriving exact, closed-form solutions for the steady state of a wide class of driven-dissipative nonlinear resonators that is distinct from more common positive-$P$ function methods. Our method generalizes the coherent quantum absorber approach of Stannigel et al. to include nonlinear driving and dissipation, and relies crucially on exploiting the Segal-Bargmann representation of Fock space. Our solutions and method reveal a wealth of previously unexplored observable phenomena in these systems, including new generalized photon-blockade and anti-blockade effects, and an infinite number of new parameter choices that yield quantum-bistability.