Briton John Clarke, Frenchman Michel Devoret, and American John Martinis were awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physics on Tuesday for pioneering work that brought quantum mechanics into practical use, paving the way for modern digital technologies and the next generation of quantum devices.

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences highlighted the trio’s achievements in demonstrating quantum tunnelling in superconducting circuits — a discovery that laid the groundwork for technologies such as quantum computers, quantum sensors, and quantum cryptography.

Quantum mechanics governs the strange behavior of particles at microscopic scales. Unlike classical physics — where a ball bounces off a wall — quantum particles can pass straight through barriers, a process known as "tunnelling". According to the Nobel committee, the laureates showed that this effect could be observed in electrical circuits on a scale large enough to be measured directly.

“This prize is awarding an experiment that brings the quantum world up to the macroscopic scale — scales that we can understand and measure through human standards,” said Ulf Danielsson, secretary of the Nobel physics committee.

Olle Eriksson, chair of the committee, added: “It is also enormously useful, as quantum mechanics is the foundation of all digital technology.”

From fundamental physics to everyday tech

John Clarke, 83, is a professor at the University of California, Berkeley. Michel Devoret, 72, and John Martinis, born in 1958, are both affiliated with the University of California, Santa Barbara, with Devoret also listed as professor emeritus at Yale University.

Speaking to reporters after the announcement, Clarke said he was stunned to receive the news: “To put it mildly, it was the surprise of my life.”

He noted that their research had been driven purely by scientific curiosity at the time: “It certainly had not occurred to us in any way that this discovery would have such a significant impact.”

Reflecting on how the work now influences daily life, Clarke pointed out that he was speaking to journalists using a mobile phone — a technology built on principles of quantum mechanics. “One of the underlying reasons that the cell phone works is because of all this work,” he said.

Concerns over US science funding

Clarke used the spotlight to warn about cuts to US science funding, particularly during the administration of former President Donald Trump. He said that reduced budgets would “cripple” important research efforts: “It is going to be disastrous if this continues.”

Many Nobel-winning researchers, including this year’s physics laureates, have conducted their work in the US — a testament to decades of strong investment in science and academic freedom. However, fears of a “brain drain” have grown in recent years due to political shifts and funding cuts.

“The fact that Michel Devoret went to the US is an example of the brain drain,” said Eleanor Crane, a quantum physicist at King’s College London, while also noting that the trend is beginning to reverse with new policies.

A week of Nobel honours continues

The Nobel physics prize follows Monday’s announcement in medicine, awarded to Mary Brunkow and Fred Ramsdell of the US and Japan’s Shimon Sakaguchi for their discovery of key components in the immune system.

Still to come are prizes in chemistry (Wednesday), literature (Thursday), and the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize (Friday). The Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences will be awarded on October 13.

Each Nobel Prize comes with a gold medal, a diploma, and a cash award of $1.2 million, to be shared among recipients. The prizes will be formally awarded at ceremonies in Stockholm and Oslo on December 10 — the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death.