Reply to comment on ‘Superconducting transition in Nb nanowires fabricated using focused-ion beam’

In this communication we present our response to the recent comment of Engel regarding our paper on FIB-fabricated Nb nanowires (see Tettamanzi et al 2009 20 465302). After further analysis and additional experimental evidence, we conclude that our interpretation of the experimental results in light of QPS theory is still valid when compared with the alternative proximity-based model as proposed by Engel.