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Nobel Physics Prize Awards Trio for Proving Quantum Effects in Electric Circuits

Experiments in the 1980s revealed macroscopic tunnelling with discrete energy levels in superconducting circuits, establishing a basis for modern 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.
A screen displays a Nobel Prize medal ahead of the announcement of the Nobel Prize in Chemisty, at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, in Stockholm, Sweden, October 8, 2025. REUTERS/Tom Little
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)

Overview

  • John Clarke, Michel H. Devoret and John M. Martinis were named 2025 laureates for the discovery of macroscopic quantum mechanical tunnelling and energy quantisation in an electric circuit.
  • Their 1984–85 Josephson‑junction experiments showed a hand‑held superconducting circuit could tunnel between states and display discrete energy levels.
  • The Nobel committee said the work opened paths to quantum cryptography, quantum computers and ultra‑sensitive quantum sensors.
  • Clarke is at UC Berkeley, Devoret is at Yale and UC Santa Barbara, and Martinis is at UC Santa Barbara, with Devoret and Martinis also having recent affiliations with Google Quantum AI.
  • The trio will share 11 million Swedish kronor, with medals to be presented in Stockholm on December 10, and Clarke described the call as a surprise while noting the research underpins technologies such as mobile phones.