SRINAGAR: Three scientists, John Clarke, Michel H Devoret, and John M Martinis, have been awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physics for their pioneering work in quantum mechanics, specifically for the discovery of macroscopic quantum mechanical tunnelling and energy quantisation in electric circuits.
Their experiments, conducted in the 1980s using superconducting circuits, demonstrated that quantum effects, long thought to be confined only to microscopic particles, can also manifest in systems large enough to be seen and held, bridging the gap between the quantum realm and the observable world.
John Clarke, a British physicist at the University of California, Berkeley; French-born Michel H Devoret, now at Yale University and UC Santa Barbara; and American John M Martinis, a professor at UC Santa Barbara, jointly share the award and a prize fund of 11 million Swedish kronor (about 1.17 million dollars). The Nobel Committee praised their research as foundational, stating it has paved the way for next-generation quantum technologies, including quantum computing, cryptography, and quantum sensors.
According to the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, their work proved it is possible for a system of electrons in a superconducting circuit to behave as a single quantum entity, exhibiting tunnelling through energy barriers and displaying quantised energy states. These landmark findings underpin much of today’s advancements in quantum computing, as highlighted during the Nobel announcement in Stockholm.
All three laureates expressed surprise and gratitude at the international recognition, with Clarke noting their “astonishment” that work done decades ago could yield such a significant scientific prize.
