Three United States-based scientists, John Clarke, Michel Devoret, and John Martinis, have been awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physics for groundbreaking experiments that demonstrated quantum physics in action, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced on Tuesday.
According to the Nobel Committee, their pioneering work has laid the foundation for the next generation of quantum technology, including advancements in quantum cryptography, computing, and sensors.
The award recognizes a series of experiments conducted in the mid-1980s using electronic circuits made from superconductors. These experiments proved that quantum mechanical properties could be observed and manipulated on a much larger, macroscopic scale.
Speaking by phone during the Nobel press conference, Clarke expressed his astonishment at receiving the honor. “I’m completely stunned. It never occurred to me that this might lead to a Nobel Prize,” he said. “I’m speaking on my cell phone, and one of the reasons it works is because of this very research.”
Clarke, originally from the UK, is a professor at the University of California, Berkeley. Devoret, born in France, teaches at Yale University and the University of California, Santa Barbara, while Martinis, an American, also teaches at UC Santa Barbara and previously led Google’s Quantum Artificial Intelligence Lab before resigning in 2020.
Olle Eriksson, chair of the Nobel Committee for Physics, praised the laureates’ contributions, stating, “It is wonderful to celebrate how century-old quantum mechanics continues to surprise us. It remains enormously useful, forming the basis of all digital technology.”