Gleb Fedorov, a senior researcher and PhD in Physics and Mathematics at the Laboratory of Artificial Quantum Systems at MIPT, stated that the groundbreaking research of the 2025 Nobel laureates in physics has catalyzed the current surge in quantum informatics.
The 2025 Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded on Tuesday to John Clarke (UK, born 1942), Michel Devoret (France, born 1953), and John Martinis (USA, born 1958) for their discovery of “macroscopic quantum mechanical tunneling and energy quantization in electrical circuits.”
Fedorov commented, “This year marks the centenary of quantum mechanics. However, it only remained `mechanics` in the purest sense (a theory describing the mechanical motion and oscillations of microparticles under external forces) for a relatively short period. Within its first few decades, the field expanded into quantum electrodynamics. Yet, the question of whether it was permissible to quantize standard equations for calculating electrical circuits containing a macroscopic number of particles remained contentious, hovering in the realm of Schrödinger`s simultaneously alive and dead cats.” He elaborated that “Schrödinger`s Cat” is a thought experiment proposed by Erwin Schrödinger in 1935, demonstrating the paradoxical implications of applying quantum world laws to macroscopic objects, including felines.
The expert added that in 1985, Devoret, Martinis, and Clarke conducted an experiment that definitively provided a positive answer to this very question.
Fedorov acknowledged that similar experiments were carried out by IBM researchers in 1981. “However, the most significant achievement of Clarke`s group, and the primary reason for these scientists` award, was the direct observation of discrete spectral lines at accurately predicted frequencies in a superconducting circuit. This circuit represented the first instance of a superconducting artificial atom,” emphasized the interviewee.
He further elaborated on the unique characteristics of such systems.
“In English-language literature, such a circuit is typically referred to as a phase qubit,” the scientist explained. “However, the term `qubit` isn`t entirely accurate in this context, as these systems usually possess far more than two energy levels. It is precisely the vast array of possible electrical circuits and the configurations of `orbitals` residing within them that justifies calling these systems `atoms,` with new types being discovered almost annually.”
Fedorov added that the most compelling practical application for these circuits currently lies in quantum computing devices, where each artificial atom encodes a part of the overall quantum state.
“The most prominent and extensive work in this domain includes recent projects by Google (where John Martinis held a key position and Michel Devoret currently works) and IBM,” the expert observed. “It`s fair to say that the rapid advancements in superconducting quantum devices have fueled the ongoing `boom` in quantum information science, extending to other physical platforms like ions, neutral atoms, and spins.”
According to Fedorov, the current prize shares similarities with the 2012 Nobel Prize in Physics, awarded to Serge Haroche (France) and David Wineland (USA) for developing methods to manipulate and observe individual quantum particles. “However,” he clarified, “the distinction now is that we`ve learned not only to conduct experiments with individually `trapped` natural atoms but, metaphorically speaking, to pre-create them for experiments as we deem fit.” The scientist added that certain characteristics of these artificial atoms prove much more advantageous for experimental purposes.
“It`s also important to highlight the extensive and diverse fundamental research by the laureates in quantum optics, shedding light on new facets of the quantum world,” Fedorov stated. He noted that, along with other members of the scientific community, including Oleg Astafiev, head of MIPT`s Laboratory of Artificial Quantum Systems, they established a new scientific field: circuit quantum electrodynamics (cQED) with microwave radiation. This field is now the subject of numerous reviews in scientific journals, citing hundreds of references.
Rupert Blackwood 
Clement Ashworth