The direct effect of an axion field on Josephson junctions is analyzed through the consequences on the effective potential barrier that prevents the junction from switching from the superconducting to the finite-voltage state. We describe a method to reliably compute the quasipotential with stochastic simulations, which allows for the spanning of the coupling parameter from weakly interacting axion to tight interactions. As a result, we obtain an axion field that induces a change in the potential barrier, therefore determining a significant detectable effect for such a kind of elusive particle.
Keywords: Josephson junction; axion; detection; noise; quasipotential; switching dynamics.