This year’s Nobel Prize winners in physics – John Clarke, Michel H. Devoret, and John M. Martinis – were honored for their pioneering experiments, which showed that quantum phenomena can occur in macroscopic systems visible to the naked eye.

The researchers used an electrical circuit built from superconductors, which conduct electricity without electrical resistance, called a Josephson junction. In such a system, electrons behaved as a single, coherent “particulate” system filling the entire circuit. Clarke, Devoret, and Martinis’ experiments revealed two key phenomena: quantum tunneling, in which the system “passes” through a barrier that it could not overcome classically, and energy quantization, i.e., the absorption and emission of strictly defined portions of energy.

“It’s wonderful that a century-old quantum theory can still surprise us and open the door to new technologies. Quantum mechanics is the foundation of all modern digital technology,” emphasized Olle Eriksson, chair of the Nobel Committee for Physics.

The laureates’ discoveries not only deepen our understanding of the fundamental laws of physics, but also have practical applications in the development of quantum computers, quantum cryptography, and modern quantum sensors. Today, quantum technology surrounds us in our everyday lives—one example is the transistors in computer microprocessors, which operate based on the laws of quantum mechanics.