Feedback and Rate Asymmetry of the Josephson Junction Noise Detector

The Josephson junction noise detector measures the skewness of non-Gaussian noise via the asymmetry of the rate of escape from the zero-voltage state upon reversal of the bias current. The feedback of this detector on the noise generating device is investigated in detail. Concise predictions are made for a second Josephson junction as noise generating device. The strong nonlinearity of this component implies particularly strong feedback effects, including a change of sign of the rate asymmetry as the applied voltage approaches twice the superconducting gap.