LAUSR

We investigate the timing properties of single-photon-triggered vortex (or anti-vortex) crossing in a current-biased superconducting nanowire and find that the time delays caused in the vortex-crossing process vary with the transverse positions on the nanowire where the photons are absorbed. The position-dependent time delays indicate that the vortex-crossing process induces timing jitter of a superconducting nanowire single-photon detector (SNSPD). The magnitude of this timing jitter further depends on various parameters, including the polarization of the incident photon, the bias current, and the width of the nanowire. This vortex-crossing-induced timing jitter might represent the lower bound of the timing jitter of the SNSPD and fundamentally limit its time-resolving capability.