Phase retrapping in a pointlike $\varphi$ Josephson junction: the Butterfly effect

Abstract

We consider a $\varphi$ Josephson junction, which has a bistable zero-voltage state with the stationary phases $\psi=\pm\varphi$. In the non-zero voltage state the phase "moves" viscously along a tilted periodic double-well potential. When the tilting is reduced quasistatically, the phase is retrapped in one of the potential wells. We study the viscous phase dynamics to determine in which well ($-\varphi$ or $+\varphi$) the phase is retrapped for a given damping, when the junction returns from the finite-voltage state back to zero-voltage state. In the limit of low damping the $\varphi$ Josephson junction exhibits a butterfly effect --- extreme sensitivity of the destination well on damping. This leads to an impossibility to predict the destination well.