A classical statistical model for distributions of escape events in swept-bias Josephson junctions

We have developed a model for experiments in which the bias current applied to a Josephson junction is slowly increased from zero until the junction switches from its superconducting zero-voltage state, and the bias value at which this occurs is recorded. Repetition of such measurements yields experimentally determined probability distributions for the bias current at the moment of escape. Our model provides an explanation for available data on the temperature dependence of these escape peaks. When applied microwaves are included we observe an additional peak in the escape distributions and demonstrate that this peak matches experimental observations. The results suggest that experimentally observed switching distributions, with and without applied microwaves, can be understood within classical mechanics and may not exhibit phenomena that demand an exclusively quantum mechanical interpretation.

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