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Circuit quantization is an extraordinarily successful theory that describes the behavior of quantum circuits with high precision. The most widely used approach of circuit quantization relies on introducing a classical Lagrangian whose degrees of freedom are either magnetic fluxes or electric charges in the circuit. By combining nonlinear circuit elements (such as Josephson junctions or quantum phase slips), it is possible to build circuits where a standard Lagrangian description (and thus the standard quantization method) does not exist. Inspired by the mathematics of symplectic geometry and graph theory, we address this challenge, and present a Hamiltonian formulation of non-dissipative electrodynamic circuits. The resulting procedure for circuit quantization is independent of whether circuit elements are linear or nonlinear, or if the circuit is driven by external biases. We explain how to re-derive known results from our formalism, and provide an efficient algorithm for quantizing circuits, including those that cannot be quantized using existing methods., Comment: 30 pages, 8 figures

A Josephson junction subject to an external RF excitation may experience the inverse AC Josephson effect, where the phase across the junction locks to the drive. The resulting ``Shapiro steps'' of quantized voltage are currently utilized in primary voltage standards. The effect has also been a key technique in the search for topological superconductivity. Here, we study a particularly interesting regime in which the zero voltage state becomes unstable at zero DC bias, and the junction spontaneously develops the first Shapiro step with a voltage $V=\pm \hbar \omega /2e$. The switching time between the $+ \hbar \omega /2e$ and $- \hbar \omega /2e$ states ranges from milliseconds to hours. Most interestingly, we find a surprising regime with a non-monotonic temperature dependence, in which the switching time demonstrates a pronounced minimum at intermediate temperatures. Tuning of the measurement parameters is also shown to give rise to a tristable switching behavior, showcasing the potential for further experiments in stochastic physics and quantum thermodynamics.

4 electrode impedance spectroscopy measurements are applied to a system of conducting coke breeze particles in a nonconducting silica sphere background wetted with Na2SO4 solution. Based on a method used in geological field work, it is known that this type of system exhibits a peak in the phase response as a function of frequency. We vary the size of the conducting particles, the concentration of the electrolytic solution and the volume fraction of conducting particles to verify theoretical predictions about the behavior of this system. The frequency of the phase peak is confirmed to vary roughly as the inverse of the square of the conducting particle radius for particles with radii between 95 and 166 microns, and linear relations are found for the frequency of the phase peak and the electrolytic concentration and the amplitude of the phase peak and conducting particle volume fraction. Conductivity and dielectric measurements are also explored.