"Hybrid" multi-gap/single-gap Josephson junctions: Evidence of macroscopic quantum tunneling in superconducting-to-normal switching experiments on MgB2/I/Pb and MgB2/I/Sn junctions

We report results of superconducting-to-normal switching experiments on MgB$_2$/I/Pb and MgB$_2$/I/Sn junctions, with and without microwaves. These results suggest that the switching behavior is dominated by quantum tunneling through the washboard potential barrier, rather than thermal excitations or electronic noise. Evidence includes a leveling in the standard deviation of the switching current distribution below a crossover temperature, a Lorentzian shape of the escape rate enhancement peak upon excitation by microwaves, and a narrowing in the histogram of escape counts in the presence of resonant microwave excitation relative to that in the absence of microwaves. These are the first such results reported in ``hybrid" Josephson tunnel junctions, consisting of multi-gap and single-gap superconducting electrodes.