2025 Nobel Prize in Physics
Winners
- Awarded to John Clarke, Michel Devoret, and John Martinis.
- Announced by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.
Key Contribution
- The trio developed a device that demonstrates “quantum tunnelling” — a fundamental quantum phenomenon.
- Their experiments offered greater insight into the quantum world, where particles behave differently from classical physics expectations.
About Quantum Tunnelling
- Quantum tunnelling: The ability of particles to pass through barriers that they cannot cross under classical laws.
- Example analogy: Like a cricket ball that sometimes burrows into the ground instead of bouncing.
- Normally invisible at macroscopic levels, but the scientists organized particles to visibly exhibit this effect.
The Experiment
- They designed an electrical circuit using:
- Two superconductors (materials conducting current with zero resistance).
- A thin insulating layer between them called a Josephson junction.
- The circuit allowed them to:
- Control how particles in superconductors behave collectively as one quantum particle.
- Demonstrate flow of current without voltage, showcasing quantum coherence in macroscopic systems.
Significance
- Their work deepens understanding of quantum mechanics and its practical applications.
- Builds on early quantum discoveries that led to transistors and silicon chips — foundations of modern computing.
- Could influence future quantum technologies like quantum computing and ultra-sensitive sensors.
Quote
“It is wonderful to celebrate how century-old quantum mechanics continually offers new surprises and remains enormously useful,” — Olle Eriksson, Chair, Nobel Committee for Physics
