(a) The transition between even and odd parity states; both initial and final states are tuned at a fixed charge gate n. (b) The energy profile at a junction between a large reservoir (lead) and a small island. The even to odd transition rate Γ eo and the opposite one are depicted by arrows from the corresponding initial to final states. Large transition energy makes the even to odd transitions much more frequent than that in the opposite direction. (c) Temperature dependence of NQP relaxation time for the superconducting energy gap ∆ = 2.1K, R = 10KΩ, the nonequilibrium quasiparticle density 0.1/µm 3 , and the density of states 10 6 /µm 3 K. From top to bottom the junction phase fluctuations is taken from ρ c = 0.08 to 0.8 with equal steps. Upper Insets: temperature dependence of relaxation rate in nonequilibrium (solid) and equilibrium (dashed), where the upper curve is for ρ c = 0.04 and the lower one for 1.6; Lower Inset: the slope of NQP relaxation rate as a function of temperature and ρ. Minima in the transition rate appears for all ρ c > ρ * c at finite temperature. 

(a) The transition between even and odd parity states; both initial and final states are tuned at a fixed charge gate n. (b) The energy profile at a junction between a large reservoir (lead) and a small island. The even to odd transition rate Γ eo and the opposite one are depicted by arrows from the corresponding initial to final states. Large transition energy makes the even to odd transitions much more frequent than that in the opposite direction. (c) Temperature dependence of NQP relaxation time for the superconducting energy gap ∆ = 2.1K, R = 10KΩ, the nonequilibrium quasiparticle density 0.1/µm 3 , and the density of states 10 6 /µm 3 K. From top to bottom the junction phase fluctuations is taken from ρ c = 0.08 to 0.8 with equal steps. Upper Insets: temperature dependence of relaxation rate in nonequilibrium (solid) and equilibrium (dashed), where the upper curve is for ρ c = 0.04 and the lower one for 1.6; Lower Inset: the slope of NQP relaxation rate as a function of temperature and ρ. Minima in the transition rate appears for all ρ c > ρ * c at finite temperature. 

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In superconducting qubits the lifetime of quantum states cannot be prolonged arbitrarily by decreasing temperature. At low temperature quasiparticles tunneling between the electromagnetic environment and superconducting islands takes the condensate state out of equilibrium due to charge imbalance. We obtain the tunneling rate from a phenomenologica...

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