Axion field influence on Josephson junction quasipotential

TL;DR

This paper investigates how axion fields affect Josephson junctions by altering their quasipotential barriers, proposing a computational method to detect axion influence through measurable changes in the junction's behavior.

Contribution

It introduces a reliable stochastic simulation method to compute the quasipotential across different axion coupling strengths, revealing potential detectable effects.

Findings

Axion fields modify the Josephson junction potential barrier.

The method spans weak to strong axion interactions.

Detectable changes in junction behavior could indicate axion presence.

Abstract

The direct effect of an axion field on Josephson junctions is analyzed through the consequences on the effective potential barrier that prevents the junction from switching from the superconducting to the finite-voltage state. We describe a method to reliably compute the quasipotential with stochastic simulations, which allows to span the coupling parameter from weakly interacting axion to tight interactions. As a result, we obtain that the axion field induces a change in the potential barrier, therefore determining a significant detectable effect for such a kind of elusive particle.