The Nobel Prize in Physics has been awarded to the trio of US-based scientists, John Clarke, Michel Devoret, and John Martinis, for their work in quantum mechanical tunneling.

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, on Tuesday, at a news conference in Stockholm, Sweden, stated that the prize was awarded for “the discovery of macroscopic quantum mechanical tunnelling and energy quantisation in an electric circuit”.

The award-giving body stated, “This year’s Nobel Prize in Physics has provided opportunities for developing the next generation of quantum technology, including quantum cryptography, quantum computers, and quantum sensors.”

The academy, with an overall objective of promoting the natural sciences, mathematics, and the exchange of ideas between other disciplines, disclosed that 11 million Swedish kronor (£872,000) will be shared equally among the three laureates.

The body stated that the Physics Nobel Prize laureates conducted experiments with an electrical circuit, in which they demonstrated both quantum mechanical tunnelling and quantised energy levels in a system large enough to be held in the hand.

“The laureates’ experiments demonstrated that quantum mechanical properties can be made concrete on a macroscopic scale,” it said.

It added, “In 1984 and 1985, John Clarke, Michel Devoret and John Martinis conducted a series of experiments with an electronic circuit built of superconductors, components that can conduct a current with no electrical resistance.”

The chairperson of the Nobel Committee for Physics, Olle Eriksson, commended the efforts of the laureates, describing quantum mechanics as the foundation of all digital technology.

“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,” Mr Eriksson said.