Branch-imbalance relaxation times in superconductors

Abstract

The interrelationship of ${\tau }_Q$,${\tau }_Q^{*}$, and ${\tau }_R$, all of which have been used by various authors to describe the relaxation of branch imbalance, is critically reviewed with emphasis on the tractable case of disequilibrium generated by low-voltage tunnel injection and on the physical basis for the differences among the various times.