Macroscopic quantum tunneling in differently loaded Josephson junctions

In relation to the problem of quantum measurement, macroscopic quantum tunneling (MQT) in Josephson junctions is one of the most investigated topics. Although many theoretical studies have been devoted to this argument, the agreement on a single theoretical model has not yet been reached. The purpose of the present work is to analyze the load "seen" by the junction, in order to evaluate the contribution of the dissipation that modifies the decay-rate of the metastable state of the junction. The present work reports some theoretical results in relation to different kinds of loading systems, namely, the cases of capacitive, inductive and purely resistive load. The resistive load is considered also in relation to an experimental test. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.