AIP Congratulates 2025 Nobel Prize Winners in Physics

WASHINGTON, Oct. 7, 2025 – The 2025 Nobel Prize in physics was awarded to John Clarke, Michel H. Devoret, and John M. Martinis “for the discovery of macroscopic quantum mechanical tunnelling and energy quantisation in an electric circuit.”

“This year’s Nobel Prize marks an important advance connecting our understanding of quantum behavior at a fundamental level to today’s developments in quantum computing, which is already being put to work,” said Richard Fitzgerald, editor in chief of Physics Today, AIP’s flagship publication.

Michael Moloney, AIP’s CEO added, “This recognition of profoundly important work is especially noteworthy during our celebration in 2025 of the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology. It is meaningful to have a prize that recognizes the significance and pervasiveness of foundational quantum physics, and as we continue to celebrate IYQ, we will now double down on our celebrations owing to this wonderful recognition of truly transformative science.”

Quantum mechanics is typically relegated to the microscopic realm, with effects that are profound but almost never observable in the tangible world. Using a specialized circuit called a Josephson junction, the trio were the first to demonstrate that quantum effects, such as quantum tunneling and energy quantization, can operate on macroscopic scales. Today, Josephson junctions have applications in quantum computing, sensing, and cryptography. These remarkable technological developments would not be possible without the laureates’ seminal 1985 work.

In the classical world, a ball bounces back after coming across a wall. But in the quantum world, in a process called quantum tunneling, a small particle can simply appear on the other side of the barrier, as if it had dug a tunnel. A Josephson junction is a macroscopic device that takes advantage of this effect: Despite a small gap between two conductors, electrons can still tunnel through the gap and create a current.

The team also demonstrated that the Josephson junction exhibited quantized energy levels — meaning the energy of the system is limited to only certain allowed values — confirming the quantum nature of the system.

Clarke is an emeritus professor at the University of California, Berkeley. He received his doctorate in physics from Cambridge University in 1968. In 1969, he joined UC Berkeley, where he began a series of experiments exploring macroscopic quantum tunneling in superconducting circuits, along with his graduate student Martinis and his postdoctoral researcher Devoret. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society and a foreign associate of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences.

Devoret is the Frederick W. Beinecke Professor Emeritus of applied physics at Yale University, where he spent his career focusing on circuit quantum electrodynamics, a field he and his colleagues dubbed “quantronics.” A well-decorated physicist, Devoret earned his doctorate in physics from the University of Paris-Sud (now Paris-Saclay University) and contributed to the breakthrough work on quantum tunneling as a postdoctoral researcher in Clarke’s research group at the UC Berkeley.

Martinis is an emeritus professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara. In 1987, he received his doctorate in physics from the UC Berkeley, where he contributed to the Nobel-winning work. From 2014 to 2020, Martinis led Google’s efforts to build a quantum computer. He has been lauded for his work in quantum mechanics, receiving both a Fritz London Memorial Prize and the John Stewart Bell Prize.

“This year’s Nobel Prize in physics celebrates a profound achievement, demonstrating that the fundamental principles of quantum mechanics extend to systems visible on a human scale,” said Penelope Lewis, chief publishing officer of AIP Publishing. “The discoveries of John Clarke, Michel Devoret, and John Martinis revealed quantum tunneling and energy quantization in superconducting systems, a breakthrough that laid the foundation for today’s quantum technologies.”

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Access to Experts for Comment and Interviews

Experts from AIP and AIP Publishing will be available the morning of the announcement to comment on the new laureates, their accomplishments, and the science behind the prize. Interviews and quotes can be obtained by contacting media@aip.org after the Nobel presentation.

Multimedia Archives

Digital images from the Emilio Segrè Visual Archives are available for free for anyone looking for images of laureates, past and present. The Niels Bohr Library & Archives also offers oral history interviews , manuscripts, publications, and more.

Nobel Reporting

Physics Today,  AIP’s flagship publication, will be contributing its reporting expertise on the day of the physics Nobel announcement. There will be a morning report and an afternoon comprehensive story on the physics prize posted on its site and sent to weekly newsletter subscribers.

Dedicated Resources Collection

A collection of resources and relevant information about this year’s winners and their scientific achievements will be curated throughout the day (and beyond) and will be available at https://www.aip.org/nobel-prize. The AIP team will update the collection as information, assets, and resources are uncovered concerning the winning science.

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