Overview

• The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences named John Clarke, Michel H. Devoret and John M. Martinis as this year’s physics laureates for breakthroughs in quantum tunnelling.
• Their 1980s experiments created electrical circuits that exhibit quantum behavior when cooled near absolute zero, enabling observations of quantum mechanics on a macroscopic scale.
• The Nobel committee said the discoveries underpin quantum cryptography, quantum computers and quantum sensors, establishing key groundwork for superconducting qubits used by Google, IBM, Alice & Bob, IQM and Oxford Quantum Circuits.
• The three scientists will share the 11 million Swedish kronor award.
• Clarke called the honour “the surprise of my life,” while committee chair Olle Eriksson emphasized the work’s enduring significance and its link to modern digital technology.