A life in context
The person behind the prize
Martinis completed his doctorate at Berkeley in 1987, working on the superconducting experiments later recognised by the prize. He subsequently pursued quantum-device research at Santa Barbara and in industry. His work connects the measurement of quantum effects with efforts to control them reliably.
The contribution
As part of the Clarke–Devoret–Martinis collaboration, he measured a circuit whose behaviour could not be explained by thermal fluctuations alone. The energy-level experiments helped establish circuits as controllable quantum systems.
The idea in plain language
Quantum tunnelling allows a system to pass through an energy barrier that classical physics would not let it cross. Energy quantisation means the allowed energies come in distinct levels rather than a smooth continuum.
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