Quasiparticle trapping, excitation, and tunneling times in Josephson junctions with spatially inhomogeneous electrodes

On the basis of a microscopic model of the proximity effect in an SS'-sandwich we have calculated effective trapping, excitation, and tunneling rates of the reduced gap region in an SS′IS″S junction as a function of temperature, voltage over the junction and strength of the proximity effect. We developed a simple model to describe the effect of magnetic fields on the gap of the superconductor, and calculated the trapping rate as function of the field. The experimentally determined gap reduction and quasiparticle loss times as function of the field were described in terms of this model.