# What is the maximum current carrying capacity of a Josephson tunnel junction?

In 1962, Josephson predicted that for a sufficiently thin insulating layer, it should be possible for Cooper pairs to tunnel between two pieces of superconductor.

With a potential difference $V$ across the junction, an alternating current should flow at a frequency $f$ given by: $$hf = 2\times e\times V.$$ For a potential difference of $10^9$ volts, the frequency of these alternating currents would be around $10^{24}$ Hz, and that is comparable (in terms of frequency) with the frequency of highly energetic gamma radiation.

Question 1. What is the maximum current carrying capacity of a Josephson tunnel junction? (we do not want the materials to brake down in the middle of the experiment).

In 1967, Andrei Sakharov suggested that fundamental fields such as electromagnetism cause, in their ground state, a stress in the vacuum that is perceived as gravity (induced gravity). Following this train of thought, it makes sense to ask the following question.

Question 2. Could these extremely high frequency alternating currents lead to new phenomena, like gravity modification effects? Basically, a network of Josephson tunnel junctions under high voltage, could this experimental setup lead to effects connected to gravity modification effects?

Question 3. Is the Podkletnov effect confirmed?

• Welcome to SE.physics. Please do not ask several questions at the same time. Please add a few notes about the Podkletnov effect, such that people can understand the question. As for the first one, the Josephson frequency, like any collective effect, has typical frequency range in the GHz, up to THz. So you miss it by... 10-15 orders of magnitudes. How could you expect to put $10^{9}$ volts across a tunnelling junction ? The maximum current carried by a Josephson junction is called the critical current, you might find some higher values in literature, but typical one are about nA-mA. – FraSchelle Apr 28 '14 at 9:18