Related papers: Testing the Kibble-Zurek Scenario with Annular Jos…
Zurek has provided simple causal bounds for the onset of phase transitions in condensed matter, that mirror those proposed by Kibble for relativistic quantum field theory. In this paper we show how earlier experiments with annular Josephson…
Kibble and Zurek have provided a unifying picture for the onset of phase transitions in relativistic QFT and condensed matter systems respectively, strongly supported by agreement with condensed matter experiments in He3. The failure of a…
Phase transitions executed in a finite time show a domain structure with defects, that has been argued by Zurek and Kibble to depend in a characteristic way on the quench rate. In this letter we present an experiment to measure the…
New scaling behavior has been both predicted and observed in the spontaneous production of fluxons in quenched $Nb-Al/Al_{ox}/Nb$ annular Josephson tunnel junctions as a function of the quench time, $\tau_{Q}$. The probability $f_{1}$ to…
It has been argued by Zurek and Kibble that the likelihood of producing defects in a continuous phase transition depends in a characteristic way on the quench rate. In this paper we discuss an improved experiment for measuring the…
It has been argued by Zurek and Kibble that the likelihood of producing defects in a continuous phase transition depends in a characteristic way on the quench rate. In this paper we discuss our experiment for measuring the Zurek-Kibble…
Systems passing through quantum critical points at finite rates have a finite probability of undergoing transitions between different eigenstates of the instantaneous Hamiltonian. This mechanism was proposed by Kibble as the underlying…
It has been argued by Zurek and Kibble that the likelihood of producing defects in a continuous phase transition depends in a characteristic way on the quench rate. In this paper we discuss our experiment for measuring the Zurek-Kibble…
We report on the spontaneous production of fluxons in the presence of a symmetry-breaking magnetic field for annular Josephson tunnel junctions during a thermal quench. The dependence on field intensity $B$ of the probability $\bar{f_1}$ to…
Kibble and Zurek have provided a unifying causal picture for the appearance of classical defects like cosmic strings or vortices at the onset of phase transitions in relativistic QFT and condensed matter systems respectively. In condensed…
In order to mimic the phase changes in the primordial Big Bang, several "cosmological" solid-state experiments have been conceived, during the last decade, to investigate the spontaneous symmetry breaking in superconductors and superfluids…
By measuring the current-voltage characteristics and the switching current distributions as a function of temperature, we have investigated the phase dynamics of Al tunnel ferromagnetic Josephson junctions (JJs), designed to fall in the…
If systems change as fast as possible as they pass through a phase transition then the initial domain structure is constrained by causality. We shall show how we can trace these causal horizons by measuring the spontaneous production of…
The physics of Josephson tunnel junctions drastically depends on their geometrical configurations and here we show that also tiny geometrical details play a determinant role. More specifically, we develop the theory of short and long…
We investigate the dynamics of the phase variable of an ideal underdamped Josephson junction in switching current experiments. These experiments have provided the first evidence for macroscopic quantum tunneling in large Josephson junctions…
We report the observation of quantum jumps between macroscopic quantum states in a superconducting phase qubit coupled to the two-level systems in the Josephson tunnel junction, and all key features of quantum jumps are confirmed in the…
We show that recent experiments based on Josephson junctions, SQUIDS, and coupled Josephson qubits have a cosmological interpretation in terms of axionic dark matter physics, in the sense that they allow for analogue simulation of…
Half a century ago, T. Kibble proposed a scenario for topological defect formation from symmetry breaking during the expansion of the early Universe. W. Zurek later crystallized the concept to superfluid helium, predicting a power-law…
The high-Q harmonic oscillator mode of a Josephson junction can be used as a novel probe of spurious two-level systems (TLSs) inside the amorphous oxide tunnel barriers of the junction. In particular, we show that spectroscopic transmission…
Quantum-phase transitions in two layers of ultrasmall Josephson junctions, coupled capacitively with each other, are investigated. As the interlayer capacitance is increased, the system at zero temperature is found to exhibit an…