The 2025 Nobel Prize in Physics has been awarded to John Clarke from the United Kingdom, Michel Devoret from France, and John Martinis from the United States for their groundbreaking discoveries in macroscopic quantum tunneling and energy quantization in an electrical circuit, reports Baltimore Chronicle with reference to the Nobel Committee. According to the committee, the laureates conducted experiments that determined the maximum size of a system capable of exhibiting quantum mechanical effects.
During 1984 and 1985, the three scientists performed a series of experiments using an electrical circuit made of superconductors — materials that can conduct electric current without resistance. The superconducting elements in the circuit were separated by a thin layer of insulating material, forming what is known as a Josephson junction. By refining the design and carefully measuring its properties, the researchers were able to control the phenomena arising during current flow and investigate the behavior of charged particles.
The particles moving through the superconducting circuit formed a single macroscopic system that behaved like a single, large particle. Initially, the system remained in a state where the current flowed without voltage and appeared “stuck” behind an impenetrable barrier. During the experiments, it exhibited quantum characteristics, escaping from this zero-voltage state through tunneling. Changes in the system were tracked by the appearance of voltage.
Furthermore, the scientists demonstrated that the system obeys quantum mechanics: it is quantized, meaning it absorbs or emits energy only in discrete portions. Nobel Committee Chair for Physics, Olle Eriksson, emphasized that the discovery highlights the continuous surprises of century-old quantum mechanics and its fundamental role in modern digital technologies.
Nobel Week runs from October 6 to October 13. Previously, the winners of the Physiology or Medicine Prize were announced. The next announcements include the Chemistry Prize on October 8, the Literature Prize on October 9, the Peace Prize on October 10, and the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel on October 13.
Several countries, including Israel, Pakistan, and Cambodia, have nominated U.S. President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize for his mediation in peace agreements or ceasefires since returning to office in January.
Earlier we wrote that Nobel Prize in medicine awarded for groundbreaking discovery of immune tolerance mechanisms.
