2025 Nobel Prize in Physics awarded for macroscale quantum tunneling

"for the discovery of macroscopic quantum tunneling and energy quantization in an electrical circuit."

"To put it mildly, it was the surprise of my life,"

"Our discovery in some ways is the basis of quantum computing. Exactly at this moment where this fits in is not entirely clear to me. One of the underlying reasons that cellphones work is because of all this work."

John Clarke, Michel H. Devoret, and John M. Martinis received the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physics for demonstrating macroscopic quantum tunneling and energy quantization in an electrical circuit. The laureates built an oscillator on a microchip that showed quantum behavior at a macroscopic scale. The Nobel Prize committee highlighted potential applications for quantum cryptography, quantum computers, and quantum sensors. The three winners will split 11 million Swedish kroner and will be presented the prize in Stockholm on December 10, 2025. The work connects quantum tunneling concepts with engineered circuits and supports progress toward practical quantum technologies.

Read at Ars Technica