The 2025 Nobel Prize in Physics has been awarded to John Clarke, Michel H. Devoret, and John M. Martinis for their landmark experiments that unveiled quantum tunnelling and energy quantisation in electrical circuits. Their groundbreaking research, conducted in the mid-1980s, proved that quantum mechanical phenomena could manifest at a macroscopic scale, bridging the gap between classical and quantum physics.

By experimenting with superconducting circuits and Josephson junctions, the trio demonstrated that energy levels within these systems are discrete, and that particles can tunnel between energy states. This discovery revolutionised the field of quantum physics, laying the groundwork for modern quantum technologies such as superconducting qubits, quantum sensors, and next-generation computing systems.

“Their pioneering work has shown that quantum effects can govern the behaviour of engineered systems, inspiring decades of innovation,” noted Olle Eriksson, Chair of the Nobel Committee for Physics. Notably, John M. Martinis went on to lead Google’s Quantum AI Lab, pushing quantum computing closer to real-world application.