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 electrodes
of the vacuum-barrier tunnel junction (VBTJ).
The results show there exists a dependence
of the mutual redistribution of the heat on applied bias voltage
and the direction of tunnel current, although the total heat generated
in the tunnel process is equal to the Joule heat, as expected.
Moreover, the present study indicates generated heat represents
the energy of non-equilibrium quasiparticles coming from inelastic electron
processes accompanying the process of elastic tunneling.