Published online by Cambridge University Press: 18 August 2005
We propose a novel calorimetric tunneling (CT) experiment allowing exact determination of heat generation (or heat sinking) in individual tunnel junction (TJ) electrodes, which opens new possibilities in the field of design and development of experimental techniques. Using such an experiment we have studied the process of heat generation in normal-metal electrodesof the vacuum-barrier tunnel junction (VBTJ).The results show there exists a dependenceof the mutual redistribution of the heat on applied bias voltageand the direction of tunnel current, although the total heat generatedin the tunnel process is equal to the Joule heat, as expected. Moreover, the present study indicates generated heat representsthe energy of non-equilibrium quasiparticles coming from inelastic electronprocesses accompanying the process of elastic tunneling.