Universal photon blockade, characterized by a strong photon antibunching effect over a broad range of nonlinear conditions, has been proposed recently. In this work we present a scheme to achieve universal nonreciprocal photon blockade. By coupling an asymmetric Fabry-Pérot cavity to a $\mathrm{\Lambda }$-type three-level atom and embedding a degenerate optical parametric amplifier inside the cavity to generate squeezed light, we demonstrate a direction-dependent photon blockade effect. Moreover, due to the energy-level anharmonicity induced by the $\mathrm{\Lambda }$-type three-level atom and the destructive quantum interference between different transition pathways, this phenomenon exists across a broad regime of nonlinear conditions, thereby demonstrating universal nonreciprocal photon blockade. In addition, we show that quantum squeezing is essential for realizing high-quality nonreciprocity within experimentally feasible parameter regimes. Our scheme provides a feasible method toward controllable and robust nonreciprocal single-photon sources across a wide parameter regime.

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• Cavity quantum electrodynamics
• Quantum optics