Addendum to "quasiparticle branch mixing rates in superconducting aluminum"

Abstract

The quasiparticle charge distribution generated in a superconductor by tunnel injection from a normal metal is computed as a function of temperature and injection voltage. The low-voltage limiting form is compared with the distributions obtained from the Tinkham-Clarke and Pethick-Smith chemical potential models. The quasiparticle charge relaxation rate Q*-1 due to inelastic scattering is computed for temperatures between 0.3Tc and 0.9999Tc, and for injection voltages between 0.01(T)e and 20(T)e. The limit T Tc yields the voltage-independent Schmid-Schön and Pethick-Smith result Q*-1=E=0-1(Tc)(T)4kBT, where E=0-1(Tc) is the inelastic scattering rate at the Fermi energy and at Tc. At temperatures below Tc, both the steady-state distribution function and Q*-1 depend on the injection voltage. © 1980 The American Physical Society.