John Clarke, Michel H. Devoret, and John M. Martinis have been awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physics for their groundbreaking work in quantum mechanics. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced the winners, recognising their experiments that demonstrated macroscopic quantum mechanical tunnelling and energy quantisation in an electric circuit. This discovery opens new avenues for advancements in quantum technology, including quantum computers and secure communication systems.

The laureates, all based in the United States, conducted their pivotal experiments in the mid-1980s. They designed an electrical circuit that could be held in hand, which exhibited quantum behaviours typically observed only at the atomic level. Their work showed that particles could tunnel through barriers and that the system had discrete energy levels, a significant leap in understanding quantum mechanics.

John Clarke, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, expressed his surprise at receiving the award, stating he was “completely stunned” and had never anticipated such recognition for his work. Michel Devoret and John Martinis are professors at Yale University and the University of California, Santa Barbara, respectively.

The Nobel Prize in Physics comes with a prize sum of approximately 11 million Swedish kronor, which is about 1.04 crore INR, to be shared among the three winners. The Nobel Committee highlighted that their findings not only validate quantum mechanics on a larger scale but also enhance the foundation of modern digital technology, which relies on quantum principles. Olle Eriksson, Chair of the Nobel Committee for Physics, noted, “It is wonderful to see how this century-old theory continues to surprise us.”

This year’s award follows the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics, which was awarded to John Hopfield and Geoffrey Hinton for their contributions to artificial intelligence and machine learning.