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Macroscopic quantum effects in a Josephson tunnel junction

J. R. Clarke, A.N. Cleland, Michel Devoret, D. Estève, John M. Martinis

Published May 1, 1987• 0 citations
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Abstract

This paper discusses the observation of quantum effects in the macroscopic system of a Josephson tunnel junction. The macroscopic degree of freedom is the phase difference delta between the phases of the order parameters in the two superconductors on either side of the tunnel barrier. As we shall see, the anharmonicity enables us to observe the quantized energy levels because they are no longer equally spaced, and to observe the zero point motion by the demonstration that the system tunnels out of its initial state. 6 refs., (LSP)

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This paper discusses the observation of quantum effects in the macroscopic system of a Josephson tunnel junction. The macroscopic degree of freedom is the phase difference delta between the phases of the order parameters in the two superconductors on either side of the tunnel barrier. As we shall see, the anharmonicity enables us to observe the quantized energy levels because they are no longer equally spaced, and to observe the zero point motion by the demonstration that the system tunnels out of its initial state. 6 refs., (LSP)
Experiments to investigate the quantum behavior of a macroscopic degree of freedom, namely the phase difference across a Josephson tunnel junction, are described. The experiments involve measurements of the escape rate of the junction from its zero voltage state. Low temperature measurements of the escape rate for junctions that are either nearly undamped or moderately damped agree very closely with predictions for macroscopic quantum tunneling, with no adjustable parameters. Microwave spectroscopy reveals quantized energy levels in the potential well of the junction in excellent agreement with quantum-mechanical calculations. The system can be regarded as a "macroscopic nucleus with wires."
Experiments are described that demonstrate the quantum behavior of a macroscopic degree of freedom, namely the phase difference \ensuremath{\delta} across a current-biased Josephson tunnel junction. The behavior of \ensuremath{\delta} was deduced from measurements of the escape rate \ensuremath{\Gamma} of the junction from its zero-voltage state. The relevant parameters of the junction, that is, its critical current and shunting admittance, were determined in situ in the thermal regime from the dependence of \ensuremath{\Gamma} on bias current and from resonant activation in the presence of microwaves. It was found that the shunting capacitance was dominated by the self-capacitance of the junction while the shunting conductance was dominated by the bias circuitry. For an underdamped junction in the quantum regime, \ensuremath{\Gamma} became independent of temperature at low temperatures with a value that, with no adjustable parameters, was in excellent agreement with predictions for macroscopic quantum tunneling at T=0. When the critical current was reduced with a magnetic field so that the junction remained in the thermal regime at low temperatures, \ensuremath{\Gamma} followed the predictions of the thermal model, thereby showing the influence of extraneous noise to be negligible. In a further series of experiments, the existence of quantized energy levels in the potential well of the junction was demonstrated spectroscopically. The positions of the energy levels agreed quantitatively with quantum-mechanical predictions involving junction parameters measured in the thermal regime. The relative heights and widths of the resonances are in reasonable agreement with the predictions of a simple model.
A macroscopic variable, the phase difference across a Josephson junction, is shown to obey quantum mechanics by observing the phenomena of energy-level quantization and quantum tunneling.The relevant parameters of the junction were determined .!.!! .ill!:!, in the thermal regime from the dependence of the escape rate on bias current and from resonant activation in the presence of microwaves.The first observation of quantized energy levels for this system is reported.The positions of these energy levels are in quantitative agreement with the quantum mechanical predictions based on the measured junction parameters.A model is presented that predicts correctly the observed resonance shapes.The measured value of the escape rate out of the zero-voltage state for an underdamped (Q -30) junction was found to be independent of temperature at low temperatures.This low temperature escape rate was in excellent agreement with the prediction for macroscopic quantum tunneling, with no adjustable parameters.Jolw rJt..
Basing our model and method on the microscopic theory we formulate a quantum-mechanical description for the relevant variable in a superconducting tunnel junction, i.e., the phase difference across the junction. The quasiparticle degrees of freedom are responsible for dissipation and noise in the system. Because of the discreteness of the charge-transfer process, the noise is shot noise. The energy gaps in the superconductors lead to further interesting features. We discuss the consequences of these physical effects on macroscopic quantum phenomena.
The escape rate from the zero voltage state in a superconducting Josephson junction (JJ) is determined by the temperature, but it saturates at low temperature due to macroscopic quantum tunneling (MQT). Complications due to d-wave symmetry in a high temperature superconductor, like low energy quasiparticles and an unconventional current-phase relation, may influence the escape rate. We report, for the first time to our knowledge, the observation of MQT in a YBa(2)Cu(3)O(7-delta) grain boundary biepitaxial JJ. This proves that dissipation can be significantly reduced by a proper junction configuration, which is of significance for quantum coherence.