Michel Devoret, PhD (Université Paris-Saclay), Nobel Prize in Physics 2025
The 2025 Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded on Tuesday, 7 October, in Stockholm by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences to three researchers: the British physicist John Clarke, the French physicist Michel H. Devoret, and the American physicist John Martinis, for their work on quantum mechanics. Currently a professor in the United States at the University of Santa Barbara, and Professor Emeritus of Applied Physics at Yale University, Michel Devoret completed part of his studies, including his doctorate, at Université Paris-Saclay (formerly Université Paris-Sud). He subsequently pursued part of his career at CEA Saclay, where he founded the “Quantronique” group.
An engineer and physicist, Michel Devoret graduated from Télécom Paris (formerly École nationale supérieure des télécommunications, class of 1975). He then continued his training at the Faculty of Science of Université Paris-Saclay (formerly Université Paris-Sud), where he obtained a Diplôme d’études approfondies (DEA) in Quantum Optics, followed by a third-cycle thesis in Atomic and Molecular Physics, and later a Doctorat d’État in Condensed Matter Physics. At CEA Saclay, Michel Devoret carried out his first experimental research on superconducting circuits and Josephson junctions, developing techniques to control and measure quantum states at the scale of electrical circuits. This work laid the foundations for exploring macroscopic quantum phenomena and preparing his future pioneering experiments.
Macroscopic quantum phenomena
His scientific career has led him to conduct research at the frontier between fundamental physics and emerging technologies, where he explored macroscopic quantum phenomena, previously thought to be beyond the reach of experimentation. His work notably demonstrated macroscopic quantum tunnelling and the quantisation of energy in an electrical circuit, thereby paving the way for new applications in quantum computing and precision metrology.
Michel Devoret was elected to the French Academy of Sciences in 2007 and served as Professor at the Collège de France from 2007 to 2012.
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences praised his major contributions, underlining the international impact of his research.
Further information: nobelprize.org
