The ac Josephson effect: observation of electromagnetic radiation - (Review)

An historical review of the discovery and the early period of research on the Josephson effect is given. Experiments on the tunneling effect in superconductors done in the 1960s at the Institute for Low Temperature Physics and Engineering of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kharkov (ILTPE), which led to the observation of Josephson electromagnetic radiation are described in detail. The experimental data are illustrated by the original curves, and the dates they were taken are indicated. The physical mechanism for the generation of rf radiation in superconducting tunnel junctions is examined, and some of the more promising applications of the ac Josephson effect are briefly listed. (C) 2004 American Institute of Physics.