Home
For authors
Submission status

Current
Archive (English)
Archive
   Volumes 81-92
   Volumes 41-60
   Volumes 21-40
   Volumes 1-20
   Volumes 61-80
      Volume 80
      Volume 79
      Volume 78
      Volume 77
      Volume 76
      Volume 75
      Volume 74
      Volume 73
      Volume 72
      Volume 71
      Volume 70
      Volume 69
      Volume 68
      Volume 67
      Volume 66
      Volume 65
      Volume 64
      Volume 63
      Volume 62
      Volume 61
Search
VOLUME 68 (1998) | ISSUE 11 | PAGE 847
Phonon relaxation of subgap levels in superconducting quantum point contacts
PACS: 74.50.+r, 74.80.Fp
Superconducting quantum point contacts are known to possess two subgap states per each propagating mode. In this note we compute the low-temperature relaxation rate of the upper subgap state into the lower one with the emission of an acoustic phonon. If the reflection in the contact is small, the relaxation time may become much longer than the characteristic lifetime of a bulk quasiparticle.