Three Scientists Win Nobel Prize in Physics for Quantum Mechanics Research

Three scientists have been honored with the Nobel Prize in Physics for their pioneering work in quantum mechanics. Their research has significantly advanced the understanding and application of quantum technology, offering new insights into the behavior of matter and energy at the smallest scales. This achievement highlights the growing importance of quantum science in technological innovation, with potential impacts across computing, communications, and other cutting-edge industries, marking a milestone in modern physics.

A team of three scientists has been awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physics for pioneering experiments that advanced the next generation of quantum technologies.

The prize went to John Clarke from the University of California, Berkeley, Michel Devoret from Yale University, and John Martinis from the University of California, Santa Barbara. They shared the 11 million Swedish kronor (£871,400) honor, announced by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm.

Their research demonstrated that the strange behaviors of the quantum world could produce observable effects in large-scale electrical circuits. Notably, they showed that quantum tunneling – where a particle passes through a barrier it normally couldn’t – occurs in superconducting circuits. The scientists were recognized for discovering macroscopic quantum tunneling and energy quantization in electric circuits, laying the groundwork for quantum cryptography and quantum computing.

Prof. Clarke described learning about the award as “the surprise of my life,” emphasizing that their work, conducted in the 1980s at Berkeley, directly contributed to the development of quantum computers. Quantum theory originally explained atomic-scale physics, where particles can “tunnel” out of energetic wells. Clarke, Devoret, and Martinis explored whether these quantum effects could appear at a macroscopic scale in superconductors, where electrons flow without resistance and act collectively as a single particle.

Focusing on Josephson junctions, two superconductors separated by a thin barrier, they discovered the entire system could tunnel, creating a measurable voltage. The timing of these voltage changes confirmed that macroscopic tunneling followed quantum probability rules similar to atomic phenomena.

Dr. Malcolm Connolly from Imperial College London noted that their discoveries laid the foundation for superconducting qubits, a leading platform in the global pursuit of practical quantum computers. Martinis later joined Google in 2014 to help build the first functional quantum computer.

Olle Eriksson, chair of the Nobel physics committee, praised the enduring impact of quantum mechanics, highlighting its continued surprises and essential role as the basis of modern digital technology.

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Source: theguardian‍