Quantum Leap: 3 US Scientists With UC Ties Win 2025 Physics Nobel

India-West News Desk
SAN FRANCISCO, CA — Three US scientists with strong ties to the University of California have won the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physics for experiments that demonstrated quantum physics in action on a chip, a breakthrough that could drive the next generation of quantum technologies, including computers, sensors, and cryptography. The trio will share the prize money of 11 million Swedish kronor.

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences recognized their work ‘for the discovery of macroscopic quantum mechanical tunnelling and energy quantization in an electric circuit.’ Their experiments showed that quantum effects, typically observable only at tiny scales, can occur in systems large enough to be held in the hand.

Olle Eriksson, Chair of the Nobel Committee for Physics, said, ‘It is wonderful to celebrate the way century-old quantum mechanics continually offers new surprises. It is also enormously useful, as quantum mechanics is the foundation of all digital technology.’

UC President James Milliken hailed the recognition as a milestone for the university system. He noted that Clarke, Devoret, and Martinis join a ‘long line’ of UC faculty Nobel laureates, including 23 previous winners in physics. ‘These awards are not only great honors,’ he said, ‘they are tangible evidence of the work happening across the University of California every day to expand knowledge, test the boundaries of science, and conduct research that improves our lives.’

The laureates’ UC connections are strong: John Clarke, 83, earned his Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge and is an emeritus professor at UC Berkeley. Michel H. Devoret, 72, received his doctorate from Paris-Sud University and now teaches at both Yale and UC Santa Barbara. John M. Martinis, 67, completed his Ph.D. at UC Berkeley and is an emeritus professor at UC Santa Barbara.