STOCKHOLM — Three American scientists have been awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physics for groundbreaking research on quantum tunneling — the bizarre behavior of subatomic particles that has enabled ultra-sensitive technologies like MRI machines and paved the way for future breakthroughs in computing, communications, and materials science.
John Clarke of the University of California, Berkeley; Michel H. Devoret of Yale University and UC Santa Barbara; and John M. Martinis of UC Santa Barbara were recognized for their work in the mid-1980s that bridged the mysterious realm of quantum mechanics with real-world applications. Their discoveries turned abstract principles — like particles passing through seemingly impenetrable barriers — into practical tools for technology.
“They took the scale of something that we can’t see, we can’t touch, we can’t feel, and brought it up to the scale of something recognizable — something you can build upon,” said Richard Fitzgerald, Editor-in-Chief of Physics Today.
Clarke, now 83, spearheaded the research at Berkeley. Speaking by phone after the announcement, he recalled his shock at winning: “I practically collapsed. I was completely stunned. It’s something I had never, ever dreamed of.”
Martinis, 67, learned of his win only after his wife woke him. “I opened my computer and saw my picture with the other winners,” he said. “I was kind of in shock.” Devoret, 72, is now Google’s chief scientist for quantum computing.
Their work on quantum tunneling underpins some of today’s most sensitive measurement devices, including MRI machines, and is expected to play a central role in the development of quantum computers. These advanced machines — still eight to ten years away — could outperform classical computers by orders of magnitude, unlocking new capabilities in cryptography, chemistry, artificial intelligence, and sensor technology.
Mark Pearce, a Nobel committee member, said the research could also enable highly precise sensors for detecting faint magnetic fields and strengthen encryption methods. Clarke explained that his team’s breakthrough showed how, with carefully designed circuits, tunneling could be extended beyond electrons to larger, more useful quantum objects — a discovery he called “crucial for making sophisticated technologies work.”
The laureates’ work grew out of quantum mechanics, first developed in the 1920s, which revealed the counterintuitive nature of the subatomic world. Their experiments transformed that “weirdness” into the foundation for technologies that millions rely on daily — from satellite communications to smartphone screens.
This is the 119th time the Nobel Prize in Physics has been awarded. Last year, the prize went to AI pioneers John Hopfield and Geoffrey Hinton. This year’s Nobel announcements continue with chemistry on Wednesday, literature on Thursday, the Peace Prize on Friday, and economics on Monday.
The prizes will be presented in Stockholm on December 10, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death. Each Nobel Prize carries global prestige and a cash award of 11 million Swedish kronor (about $1.2 million).