Resonant Activation from the Zero-Voltage State of a Current-Biased Josephson Junction

Michel H. Devoret; John M. Martinis; Daniel Esteve; John Clarke

doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.53.1260

Resonant Activation from the Zero-Voltage State of a Current-Biased Josephson Junction

Michel H. Devoret, John M. Martinis, Daniel Esteve, and John Clarke

Phys. Rev. Lett. 53, 1260 – Published 24 September 1984

Abstract

The lifetime $τ$ of the zero-voltage state of a current-biased Josephson junction in the thermal limit has been measured in the presence of a weak microwave perturbation. When the microwave frequency is close to the plasma frequency of the junction, the junction is "resonantly activated" out of the zero-voltage state, with a corresponding reduction in $τ$ . The results are well explained by numerical simulations.

Received 26 July 1984

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.53.1260

Authors & Affiliations

Michel H. Devoret^*, John M. Martinis, Daniel Esteve^*, and John Clarke

Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, and Materials and Molecular Research Division, Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720