A Reassessment of the Evidence for Macroscopic Quantum Tunneling in a Josephson Junction

TL;DR

This paper reevaluates evidence for macroscopic quantum tunneling in Josephson junctions, proposing a new criterion that challenges previous claims of observing quantum effects at millikelvin temperatures.

Contribution

It introduces a novel, more precise test based on SCD peak position, providing strong evidence against the occurrence of macroscopic quantum tunneling in studied junctions.

Findings

Previous evidence for quantum crossover is refuted by the new criterion.

The new test shows no temperature-independent signatures of quantum tunneling.

Implications for superconducting qubits are discussed.

Abstract

Switching current distributions have for decades been an indispensable diagnostic tool for studying Josephson junctions. They have played a key role in testing the conjecture of a macroscopic quantum state in junctions at millikelvin temperatures. The conventional basis of the test has been the observation of temperature independence of SCD peak widths, and that led to affirmative conclusions about a crossover. A different criterion is proposed here - the distance of the SCD peak from the junction critical current - and its efficacy is demonstrated. This test has distinct advantages in terms of precision, and it is found that, for three example experiments, the evidence for a crossover to the conjectured macroscopic quantum state is unequivocally negative. The implications of this finding for superconducting qubits are considered.