Clarke, Devoret and Martinis Win 2025 Physics Nobel for Quantum Tunnelling in 1-Centimeter Circuit
Updated
Updated · spacedaily.com · Jun 27
Clarke, Devoret and Martinis Win 2025 Physics Nobel for Quantum Tunnelling in 1-Centimeter Circuit
2 articles · Updated · spacedaily.com · Jun 27
Summary
The 2025 Nobel Prize in Physics went to John Clarke, Michel H. Devoret and John M. Martinis for showing in 1984-85 that a superconducting circuit could exhibit macroscopic quantum tunnelling and discrete energy levels.
At UC Berkeley, the team used a Josephson-junction circuit cooled to extremely low temperatures and tracked repeated switches from a zero-voltage state to show the collective circuit state crossed an energy barrier quantum mechanically.
Microwave tests strengthened the case: the circuit absorbed energy only at specific frequencies, indicating quantised levels rather than a continuous range and confirming it behaved as a quantum system.
The active device was a chip about 1 centimeter across, but the measured state involved billions of Cooper pairs acting together, extending quantum behavior from particles and atoms to an engineered electrical circuit.
That result later underpinned superconducting-qubit research, helping establish Josephson-junction circuits as a foundation for modern quantum computing even though the 1980s work was a basic-physics experiment, not a product breakthrough.
How did a 1980s physics experiment ignite today's $55 billion quantum computing race?
Superconducting qubits won the Nobel, but are rival technologies poised to overtake them?
What is the biggest hurdle preventing quantum computers from changing our world?
2025 Nobel Prize in Physics: Macroscopic Quantum Phenomena and the Birth of Superconducting Qubits
Overview
The 2025 Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to John Clarke, Michel H. Devoret, and John M. Martinis for their groundbreaking discovery of macroscopic quantum mechanical tunneling and energy quantization in electric systems. Their work revealed that quantum effects can appear in large, macroscopic objects, not just in tiny particles. This breakthrough deepened our understanding of the universe and paved the way for major technological advancements, such as superconducting qubits. The recognition highlights the lasting importance of quantum mechanics and shows how fundamental research can lead to new technologies that shape our future.