Trio who made foundational quantum computing discovery bag Nobel physics prize

Three researchers in sub-atomic physics have been awarded a Nobel prize for work which helped lay the foundations for quantum computing.

John Clarke, Michel Devoret and John Martinis were awarded the esteemed gong today for experiments they conducted in 1984 and 1985, which demonstrated quantum phenomena at the macro-level, which was unprecedented at the time.

The Nobel Prize in Physics committee argued the work helped establish the fundamentals for the coming generation of quantum technology, including quantum cryptography, quantum computers, and quantum sensors.

“It is wonderful to be able to celebrate the way that century-old quantum mechanics continually offers new surprises. It is also enormously useful, as quantum mechanics is the foundation of all digital technology,” said Olle Eriksson, chair of the Nobel Committee for Physics in a prepared statement.

Frenchman Devoret was a graduate and postgraduate at the Orsay Faculty of Sciences (Paris-Sud), while Martinis attended the University of ...