Josephson junction
[ joh-zuh f-suh n, -suh f- ]
/ ˈdʒoʊ zəf sən, -səf- /
noun Electronics.
a high-speed switch, used in experimental computers, that operates on the basis of a radiative phenomenon (Jo·sephson effect) exhibited by a pair of superconductors separated by a thin insulator.
Origin of Josephson junction
1965–70; after B. D.
Josephson, who predicted the existence of the effect
British Dictionary definitions for josephson effect
Josephson effect
/ (ˈdʒəʊzɪfsən) /
noun
physics
any one of the phenomena which occur when an electric current passes through a very thin insulating layer between two superconducting substances. The applications include the very precise standardization of the volt
Word Origin for Josephson effect
C20: named after Brian David
Josephson (born 1940), Welsh physicist; shared the Nobel prize for physics in 1973
Scientific definitions for josephson effect
Josephson effect
[ jō′zəf-sən ]
An effect in which electron pairs undergo quantum tunneling with zero resistance across a barrier separating two superconductors. The effect can be manipulated by varying a magnetic field at the junction where the tunneling occurs and is being investigated as a possible part of the design of high-speed switches for computer microprocessors. The Josephson effect is named after its discoverer, Welsh physicist Brian David Josephson (b. 1940).