Energy disspation in macroscopic quatum tunnel junctions

When an electrical current flows through a tunnel junction, there is a voltage drop across the junction due to its resistance. This voltage drop results in the dissipation of ele form ofheat. The amount of energy dissipated in this way depends on the resistance of the junction, the current flowing through it, and the duration of the current flow. As we will show there are other factors; intrinsic to the tunnel junction that affects the quantum tunneling processes.

Here we study energy dissipation, in large quantum tunnel junctions, by applying voltages just below barrier height up to break down voltages. We're also examining how much energy is lost by lowering the temperature and changing the voltage.

We propose a model to explain how much energy is lost when particles tunnel through the junction. The results showed two effects. First, as the temperature gets higher, less energy is lost. Second, when the barrier is lower, the junction can handle more current before it breaks down. This is because junctions with lower barriers lose less energy and can keep working even when a lot of current is flowing through then