Skip to content

Multi-photon transitions between energy levels in a current-biased Josephson tunnel junction

A. Wallraff, T. Duty, A. Lukashenko, A. V. Ustinov

cond-mat.supr-conarXiv:cond-mat/0206227

Abstract

The escape of a small current-biased Josephson tunnel junction from the zero voltage state in the presence of weak microwave radiation is investigated experimentally at low temperatures. The measurements of the junction switching current distribution indicate the macroscopic quantum tunneling of the phase below a cross-over temperature of T ≈ 280 mK. At temperatures below T we observe both single-photon and multi-photon transitions between the junction energy levels by applying microwave radiation in the frequency range between 10 GHz and 38 GHz to the junction. These observations reflect the anharmonicity of the junction potential containing only a small number of levels.

Create a lesson