The 2025 Nobel Prize in Physics has been awarded to US-based scientists John Clarke, Michel Devoret, and John Martinis for their pioneering work in quantum mechanical tunneling.
At a news conference on Tuesday in Stockholm, Sweden, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences stated that the prize was given for “the discovery of macroscopic quantum mechanical tunnelling and energy quantisation in an electric circuit.”
The academy explained that “this year’s Nobel Prize in Physics has provided opportunities for developing the next generation of quantum technology, including quantum cryptography, quantum computers, and quantum sensors.”
With a mission to promote the natural sciences, mathematics, and the exchange of ideas across disciplines, the academy disclosed that the 11 million Swedish kronor (£872,000) prize will be shared equally among the three laureates.
The body further noted that the Physics Nobel Prize winners conducted experiments with an electrical circuit, demonstrating both quantum mechanical tunnelling and quantised energy levels in a system large enough to be held in the hand.
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“The laureates’ experiments demonstrated that quantum mechanical properties can be made concrete on a macroscopic scale,” it said.
It added, “In 1984 and 1985, John Clarke, Michel Devoret and John Martinis conducted a series of experiments with an electronic circuit built of superconductors, components that can conduct a current with no electrical resistance.”
Olle Eriksson, chairperson of the Nobel Committee for Physics, praised the laureates’ work and highlighted the enduring significance of quantum mechanics.
“It is wonderful to be able to celebrate the way that century-old quantum mechanics continually offers new surprises. It is also enormously useful, as quantum mechanics is the foundation of all digital technology,” Mr Eriksson said.
