Enter your email to get Benzinga's ultimate morning update: The PreMarket Activity Newsletter
U.S.-based scientists John Clarke, Michel Devoret and John Martinis won the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physics on Tuesday for "experiments that revealed quantum physics in action," recognizing tabletop superconducting circuits that made the quantum world visible on a human scale.
Academy Highlights Promise Of Next-Generation Quantum Technology
In a statement shared with Reuters, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said, "This year's Nobel Prize in Physics has provided opportunities for developing the next generation of quantum technology, including quantum cryptography, quantum computers, and quantum sensors."
According to information provided on the Nobel Prize website, the laureates' experiments used an electrical circuit, small enough to hold in the hand, to demonstrate effects of quantum tunneling and quantized energy levels. The work showed that macroscopic superconducting devices can behave like artificial atoms, bridging theory and application and laying the groundwork for quantum hardware.
See Also: Mohamed El-Erian Says 'Unease In Financial Markets' Not Behind Gold Rally, But The Surge Is Fueled By The Break Up Of Global Economic Order
Clarke Expresses Surprise As Laureates' U.S. Ties Noted
Clarke, reached by phone during the announcement by the Nobel press conference, said, "My feelings are that I'm completely stunned. Of course, it had never occurred to me in any way that this might be the basis of a Nobel Prize."
All three winners are anchored in the United States. British-born Clarke is a professor at the University of California, Berkeley. Devoret, born in France, serves on the faculty at Yale University and at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Martinis, meanwhile, is also a professor at UC Santa Barbara.
Prize Details And Context From Recent Laureates
The Nobel physics prize is awarded by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and carries 11 million Swedish crowns (about $1.2 million), shared among laureates when there are several. The prizes were established by the will of dynamite inventor Alfred Nobel and, with occasional interruptions, have been awarded annually since 1901 in sciences, literature and peace; economics was added later. Physics was the first field named in Nobel's will and remains the discipline's most coveted honor.
Last year's physics prize went to John Hopfield and Geoffrey Hinton for foundational work that helped spark the modern artificial-intelligence boom, advances both have also warned must be handled responsibly.
Read Next:
Billionaires Ken Griffin, David Tepper, Philippe Laffont And More Load Up On Nvidia Stock As This Tech Bull Sees NVDA 'Going To $5 Trillion'
Photo Courtesy: Bertil Jonsson On Shutterstock.com
Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs