Classical resonant activation of a Josephson junction embedded in an LC circuit

We study classical resonant activation (CRA) for a Josephson junction embedded in a shell circuit consisting of one capacitive and one inductive element. The low dissipation quality factor of this device is calculated analytically at the fundamental frequency for two different models of the shell circuit. From our numerical results it emerges that CRA and energy level quantization (ELQ) are distinct processes that can be distinguished in measurements on Josephson devices at low temperatures. CRA at subharmonic frequencies is a highly nonlinear process very different from the corresponding quantum multiphoton process. These results are relevant for the interpretation of a recent experiment on ELQ in high-temperature superconductors Josephson junctions.