The Nobel Prize in Physics 2025 has been awarded to three scientists — John Clarke, Michel H. Devoret, and John M. Martinis — for groundbreaking work that transformed the strange world of quantum tunneling into practical technology for modern communications and computing.
Their research connects the abstract rules of subatomic physics to real-world systems that now power everything from cellphones to satellites.
Speaking from his cellphone, Clarke, 83, said, “One of the underlying reasons that cellphones work is because of all this research.”
Clarke conducted his work at the University of California, Berkeley. Martinis is based at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and Devoret holds appointments at Yale University and UC Santa Barbara. Clarke, who led the research team, told the Associated Press he felt honored to share the prize with his longtime colleagues.
A surprise for the laureates
The news reached the winners early Tuesday. Clarke said his daughter called to congratulate him before dawn. “It had never occurred to me, ever, that I would win the Nobel Prize,” he said. “It was the surprise of my life.”
At the Martinis home, the scene was quieter. His wife, Jean, told reporters that her husband was still asleep when the announcement came. “He doesn’t like surprises,” she said with a laugh. “In past years, we stayed up for the physics award, but eventually decided that sleep was more important.”
Devoret, who splits his time between the United States and France, could not be reached immediately.
The research that changed physics
The trio’s prize-winning work began in the mid-1980s, when they explored how the bizarre properties of quantum particles could be observed and controlled on a human scale.
Quantum mechanics deals with phenomena so small that they seem to defy common sense — where particles can exist in two states at once or pass through barriers that appear solid. This process, called quantum tunneling, once seemed purely theoretical.
But the Nobel Committee said the scientists “turned that weirdness into usable technology.”
“They took something invisible and made it practical,” said Jonathan Bagger, CEO of the American Physical Society. “Their experiments laid the foundation for powerful computers and sensitive measurement devices.”
Richard Fitzgerald, editor-in-chief of Physics Today, called their work a bridge between theory and technology. “They found a way to take what we can’t see or touch and make it something we can build upon,” he said.
Why their work matters
The discovery now underpins key parts of the quantum technology revolution — including quantum computers, sensors, and secure communications.
Mark Pearce, a professor of astrophysics and member of the Nobel Physics Committee, said their research “opened doors to faster computation, more accurate measurements, and advanced encryption.”
Quantum computers promise to perform calculations that would take traditional supercomputers thousands of years. Meanwhile, quantum sensors can detect minuscule changes in magnetic fields, improving medical imaging and geological surveys.
Clarke noted that the connection to quantum computing is real but complex. “This research, in some ways, is the basis of quantum computing,” he said. “Exactly where it fits in right now is not entirely clear to me.”
Everyday impacts of quantum physics
Though the Nobel Prize in Physics 2025 celebrates highly technical research, experts say its influence reaches daily life.
“Quantum mechanics is in everything we do,” Bagger said. “It drives cellphones, satellite communications, and even the screens we watch videos on.”
He added that ultra-sensitive devices like magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines rely on principles developed through this kind of research. Without it, MRIs would still exist — but they wouldn’t be nearly as precise.
Olle Eriksson, Chair of the Nobel Committee for Physics, said, “It’s wonderful to celebrate how century-old quantum theory keeps offering new surprises. Quantum mechanics is the foundation of all digital technology.”
How they changed scientific understanding
Before Clarke, Devoret, and Martinis, most quantum effects could only be studied at the atomic level. The team developed experimental methods that allowed scientists to observe quantum tunneling in larger, engineered systems — such as superconducting circuits.
These circuits became essential components in quantum bits, or qubits, the building blocks of quantum computers. The breakthrough made it possible to store and process information using the laws of quantum physics rather than conventional electronics.
Their work also improved quantum sensors, which now detect signals far weaker than traditional instruments could capture. These sensors are used in physics research, medicine, and even navigation systems.
The wider context of the Nobel Prize in Physics 2025
This year marks the 119th Nobel Prize in Physics. The 2025 award continues a long tradition of recognizing discoveries that reshape humanity’s understanding of nature.
Last year, the prize went to John Hopfield and Geoffrey Hinton for their pioneering work on artificial intelligence and neural networks, which created the foundation for modern machine learning.
On Monday, the Nobel Prize in Medicine went to Mary E. Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell, and Dr. Shimon Sakaguchi for their discoveries about how the immune system distinguishes between harmful germs and the body’s own cells.
The Nobel announcements continue this week with chemistry on Wednesday and literature on Thursday. The Nobel Peace Prize will be revealed Friday, followed by the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics on October 13.
Prestige, legacy, and prize money
Winners of the Nobel Prize in Physics 2025 share a cash award of 11 million Swedish kronor (about $1.2 million). The formal award ceremony will take place on December 10 in Stockholm, marking the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death in 1896.
Nobel, the Swedish inventor of dynamite and a successful industrialist, established the prizes to honor those who bring the greatest benefit to humankind through science, literature, and peace.
For Clarke, Devoret, and Martinis, the recognition confirms a lifetime spent exploring questions that once seemed unanswerable.
“It’s thrilling to see work from the 1980s still shaping technology today,” Fitzgerald said. “They showed that curiosity about the tiniest particles can lead to tools that change the world.”
Conclusion
The Nobel Prize in Physics 2025 highlights the continuing power of scientific imagination. From theory to technology, Clarke, Devoret, and Martinis proved that even the strangest aspects of nature — particles that can be in two places at once — can lead to innovation we all use every day.
Their achievement shows how deep research and human creativity can transform the mysterious into the practical — and, in doing so, bring the future closer to the present.
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