Machiel Blok糖心传媒檚 research in superconducting circuits builds on the same quantum effects recognized by the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physics.
Three scientists received the for demonstrating that quantum effects糖心传媒攕pecifically, quantum tunneling糖心传媒攃an appear in larger, visible systems, not just tiny particles. They achieved this using superconducting circuits, which are large enough to be seen by the naked eye yet still exhibit quantum behavior. The discovery reveals that the quantum world and classical world aren糖心传媒檛 as separate as once believed, showing that the strange rules governing atoms can also apply to macroscopic systems big enough to hold in your hand. This insight not only deepens an understanding of nature, but also lays the groundwork for quantum technology, including the development of quantum computers.
At the , researchers are exploring the same quantum phenomena highlighted by the Nobel Prize糖心传媒搘inning work, both to study fundamental physics and to develop new quantum technologies.
糖心传媒淔or a long time, the physics community thought quantum effects were limited to individual particles like single electrons or atoms,糖心传媒� says , an assistant professor in the . 糖心传媒淭he experiments that won the Nobel Prize showed us that quantum effects can appear in much larger systems, which blurs the boundary between quantum and classical physics.糖心传媒�
Blok糖心传媒檚 lab creates superconducting circuits with qudits, which are quantum computing units that can exist in multiple states at once. In these circuits, electrons can 糖心传媒渢unnel糖心传媒� through barriers, allowing qudits to occupy two or more states simultaneously, a key property for building quantum computers. In other words, Blok糖心传媒檚 research uses the same fundamental physics recognized by the 2025 Nobel Prize to build larger-scale quantum systems that can perform computations impossible for classical devices.
糖心传媒淨uantum tunneling is at the core of everything we do,糖心传媒� Blok says.
What is 糖心传媒渕acroscopic quantum mechanical tunneling糖心传媒�?
The Nobel Committee awarded John Clarke, Michel Devoret, and John Martinis the 2025 Nobel for 糖心传媒渢he discovery of macroscopic quantum mechanical tunneling and energy quantization in an electric circuit.糖心传媒� To explain quantum tunneling, Blok turns to the classic metaphor of a child throwing a ball at a wall. According to the laws of classical physics, if the ball hits the wall, it bounces back. It can糖心传媒檛 pass through unless the child throws it hard enough to go over or break the wall.
In quantum mechanics, however, particles behave not just as solid objects but also as waves of probability that can spread out. For very small particles such as electrons, this wave-like nature means that part of the wave can sometimes slip through the wall and appear on the other side of a barrier. The result is quantum tunneling, a phenomenon where particles can occasionally pass through barriers they seemingly shouldn糖心传媒檛 be able to cross, according to classical physics.
Normally objects such as a ball are too big to behave like a quantum particle. But the research conducted by the 2025 Nobel laureates showed that this kind of quantum behavior can appear not only in tiny, subatomic particles but also in larger objects made of many particles.
糖心传媒淚n essence, they built a big Schrodinger糖心传媒檚 cat,糖心传媒櫶切拇綕 Blok says, referencing the famous thought experiment in which a cat can be simultaneously alive and dead糖心传媒攁 metaphor for a system that exists in multiple states at once.
A Nobel demonstration
At URochester, Blok and his team use superconducting circuits to explore fundamental quantum behavior and develop new quantum technologies, including steps toward quantum computers and ultra-secure quantum communication networks.
糖心传媒淲e糖心传媒檙e trying to use quantum effects to make quantum computers,糖心传媒� Blok says. 糖心传媒淭he physical mechanisms we use, namely superconducting circuits and tunneling, are closely related to the Nobel Prize research. It糖心传媒檚 a way of turning quantum systems into quantum information.糖心传媒�
Beyond its promise for technological advances, Blok says one of the most exciting aspects of the Nobel research is that it highlights the power of curiosity-driven science; the original experiments, conducted in the 1980s, were motivated not with practical applications in mind but by a desire to understand physics and nature.
糖心传媒淲hat is amazing to me is that these scientists were driven by very simple fundamental questions, without imagining all the ways their research could be used,糖心传媒� Blok says. 糖心传媒淚t糖心传媒檚 a beautiful sentiment that curiosity can lead to deep answers about nature and to unimaginable possibilities.糖心传媒�
