STOCKHOLM — Three scientists whose pioneering work transformed the strange world of quantum mechanics into practical tools for computing and communications won the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physics on Tuesday.
John Clarke, 83, of the University of California, Berkeley; Michel H. Devoret, 72, of Yale University and the University of California, Santa Barbara; and John M. Martinis, 67, of the University of California, Santa Barbara, were honored for their research on quantum tunneling, a phenomenon in which subatomic particles pass through seemingly impenetrable barriers.
Their research, conducted largely in the 1980s, laid the foundation for technologies that now underpin ultra-sensitive measuring devices and help drive the rapid evolution of quantum computing.
Speaking from his cellphone after the announcement, Clarke highlighted how their discoveries have already influenced everyday communications. “One of the underlying reasons that cellphones work is because of all this work,” he said. Clarke told The Associated Press he was “pleased to receive this prize” alongside his colleagues.
Martinis was still asleep when the Nobel Committee made the announcement. His wife, Jean, told AP reporters that they usually stay up to await the physics prize news but had decided rest was more important this year. Devoret could not immediately be reached for comment.
Jonathan Bagger, CEO of the American Physical Society, said the trio’s work brought the “weirdness of quantum mechanics” into the human realm, making it possible to build real-world applications from subatomic phenomena.
Quantum mechanics, a 100-year-old field, describes how particles can exist in multiple states simultaneously and “tunnel” through barriers. Richard Fitzgerald, editor-in-chief of Physics Today, noted that the laureates’ achievements bridge the gap between the invisible quantum world and technologies that people can use.
Mark Pearce, a professor of astrophysics and member of the Nobel Physics Committee, said their discoveries are essential for the development of quantum computers, quantum sensors, and advanced cryptography. “Quantum computers is one very sort of obvious use,” Pearce said, adding that the technology can also enable extremely sensitive measurements of magnetic fields and secure communications.
While Clarke acknowledged the research is “in some ways the basis of quantum computing,” he noted that its exact role in today’s rapidly advancing quantum landscape is still unfolding. Bagger and Fitzgerald said the impact on cellphones is often overstated but confirmed that the work makes technologies such as MRI scans far more sensitive and useful.
“Quantum mechanics is everywhere in everything we do, from the cellphone to the satellite communications that are connected to the cellphones to the screens on which we watch our videos on our cellphones,” Bagger said.
Olle Eriksson, chair of the Nobel Committee for Physics, praised the laureates for demonstrating how century-old quantum mechanics continues to offer “new surprises” while underpinning all modern digital technology.
Clarke said he was stunned to receive the call, describing it as “the surprise of my life.” His daughter was the first to congratulate him early in the morning. “It had never occurred to me, ever, that I would win the Nobel Prize,” Clarke said.
The Nobel Prize in Physics has been awarded 119 times. Last year, John Hopfield and Geoffrey Hinton won the award for pioneering breakthroughs in artificial intelligence. This year’s Nobel announcements continue with chemistry on Wednesday, literature on Thursday, the Peace Prize on Friday, and the economics prize on Oct. 13. The awards will be formally presented on Dec. 10, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death.
Each Nobel Prize includes global prestige and a cash award of 11 million Swedish kronor (nearly $1.2 million).
AP story
