  To study the effect of disorder on quantum phase slips (QPS) in
superconducting wires, we consider the plasmon-only model where disorder can be
incorporated into a first-principles instanton calculation. We consider weak
but general finite-range disorder and compute the formfactor in the QPS rate
associated with momentum transfer. We find that the system maps onto
dissipative quantum mechanics, with the dissipative coefficient controlled by
the wave (plasmon) impedance Z of the wire and with a superconductor-insulator
transition at Z=6.5 kOhm. We speculate that the system will remain in this
universality class after resistive effects at the QPS core are taken into
account.
