Phase locking and noise-driven dynamics in a Josephson-junction electronic analog

Abstract

We present an electronic circuit whose dynamical properties emulate those of a resistively and capacitively shunted Josephson junction (RCSJ). We show how it reproduces the switching properties of a shunted junction and its dependence on the quality factor. A thermal noise source is then used to characterize the temperature dependence of the phase dynamics. In the presence of an AC drive, phase locking is observed at integer and rational multiples of the drive frequency, and it competes with chaotic behavior when the quality factor of the junction exceeds unity. We characterize the stability of phase-locked and chaotic states in the presence of thermal noise.