Flux-Dependent Crossover between Quantum and Classical Behavior in a dc SQUID

In a coupled system of one classical and one quantum mechanical degree of freedom, the quantum degree of freedom can facilitate the escape of the whole system. Such unusual escape characteristics have been theoretically predicted as the "Münchhausen effect." We implement such a system by s...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Physical review letters 2014-12, Vol.113 (24), p.247005-247005, Article 247005
Main Authors: Butz, S, Feofanov, A K, Fedorov, K G, Rotzinger, H, Thomann, A U, Mackrodt, B, Dolata, R, Geshkenbein, V B, Blatter, G, Ustinov, A V
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Crossovers
Degrees of freedom
Escape systems
Magnetic flux
Mathematical analysis
Quantum mechanics
SQUIDs
Superconducting quantum interference devices
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:In a coupled system of one classical and one quantum mechanical degree of freedom, the quantum degree of freedom can facilitate the escape of the whole system. Such unusual escape characteristics have been theoretically predicted as the "Münchhausen effect." We implement such a system by shunting one of the two junctions of a dc SQUID with an additional capacitance. In our experiments, we detect a crossover between quantum and classical escape processes related to the direction of escape. We find that, under varying external magnetic flux, macroscopic quantum tunneling periodically alternates with thermally activated escape, a hallmark of the "Münchhausen effect."
ISSN:1079-7114
0031-9007
1079-7114
DOI:10.1103/PhysRevLett.113.247005