On the decay of generalized Swihart waves

For Josephson junctions in sandwich geometry and in thin-film geometry we f ormulate the equations of nonlocal electrodynamics which take account of th e influence of normal electrons in superconductors. On the basis of these e quations we examine the spectrum and decay of generalized Swihart waves. We find that the decay of these waves by normal electrons becomes especially prominent in the short-wavelength region. Comparison of various dissipation mechanisms has revealed the conditions for efficient emission of electroma gnetic waves from Josephson structures with finite dimensions. (C) 1999 Ame rican Institute of Physics. [S1063-7834(99)00707-8].