Quantum and thermal phase escape in extended Josephson systems

In this work I examine phase escape in long annular Josephson tunnel junctions. The sine-Gordon equation governs the dynamics of the phase variable along the junction. This equation supports topological soliton solutions, which correspond to quanta of magnetic flux trapped in the junction barrier. For such Josephson vortices an effective potential is formed by an external magnetic field, while a bias current acts as a driving force. Both together form a metastable potential well, which the vortex is trapped in. When the driving force exceeds the pinning force of the potential, the vortex escapes and the junction switches to the voltage state. At a finite temperature the driving force fluctuates. If the junction's energy scale is small, the phase variable can undergo a macroscopic quantum tunneling (MQT) process at temperatures below the crossover temperature. Without a vortex trapped, the metastable state is not a potential minimum in space, but a potential minimum at zero phase difference. (orig.)