2025 Nobel in Physics goes to 'real-world quantum effects' researchers
The 2025 Nobel Prize in Physics just went to John Clarke, Michel H. Devoret, and John M. Martinis for proving that wild quantum effects—like tunneling and energy "jumps"—can actually happen in electric circuits, not just inside atoms.
Their work basically showed that the strange rules of the quantum world can be used at a scale we can see and use.
They proved that the weird world of quantum can be macroscopic
They built superconducting circuits and cooled them down to nearly absolute zero.
In this extreme cold, the macroscopic quantum system, including Cooper pairs, started behaving in ways scientists thought only happened at the tiniest scales—tunneling between quantum states and swapping energy in set amounts.
The Nobel committee described this as a significant step toward connecting mind-bending quantum physics with everyday tech.
Their work is already changing our tech landscape
Their discoveries are powering today's coolest tech: quantum computers, ultra-sensitive sensors, even next-level encryption.
Companies like Google and IBM are building on their breakthroughs right now.
Plus, the broader work in superconducting quantum devices is helping improve medical imaging and geoscience tools—so what began as challenging lab science is already shaping our future.