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51m ago

Clarke, Devoret and Martinis Awarded 2025 Nobel in Physics for Quantum Effects in Circuits

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said 1980s Josephson-junction experiments put quantum effects on a chip, opening paths for quantum technologies.

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The trio were won the Nobel for the discovery of macroscopic quantum mechanical tunnelling and energy quantisation in an electric circuit.
FILE - A Nobel Prize medal is displayed before a ceremony at the Swedish Ambassador's Residence in London, Monday, Dec. 6, 2021. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham, File)
John Clarke, Michel H. Devoret and John Martinis are announced as winners of the Nobel Prize in Physics, at the Nobel Assembly of the Karolinska Institutet, in Stockholm, on Tuesday.

Overview

  • The Academy cited “the discovery of macroscopic quantum mechanical tunnelling and energy quantisation in an electric circuit.”
  • In 1984–85, the laureates used superconducting Josephson-junction circuits to demonstrate tunnelling and discrete energy levels in a hand-scale device.
  • Clarke conducted the research at UC Berkeley, Devoret at Yale and UC Santa Barbara, and Martinis at UC Santa Barbara, with some reports noting ties to Google Quantum AI.
  • The Nobel committee highlighted opportunities for next-generation quantum cryptography, quantum computers, and quantum sensors.
  • The award totals 11 million Swedish kronor with presentation on December 10 in Stockholm, and Clarke called the news “the surprise of my life.”