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Quantitative study of macroscopic quantum tunneling in a dc SQUID: a system with two degrees of freedom
Shao-Xiong Li1, Yang Yu, Yu Zhang
1Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas 66045, USA.
Physical Review Letters
|August 23, 2002
Abstract:
To test whether the theory of macroscopic quantum tunneling (MQT) is applicable to systems with 2 degrees of freedom, we experimentally investigated the switching current distribution of a dc SQUID. Using sample parameters determined from measurements at T=4.2 K, we are able to make quantitative comparison to the theories from 8 mK to 4.2 K. The excellent agreement between the data and the MQT theory demonstrates that tunneling from the zero-voltage state of the dc SQUID is well described by the quantum mechanics.