The 2025 Nobel Prize in Physics has been awarded to three scientists from Britain, France and the United States for their groundbreaking work on quantum mechanics.

John Clarke, a British physicist based at the University of California, Berkeley; Michel Devoret, a French physicist at Yale University; and John Martinis of the University of California, Santa Barbara, will share the 11 million Swedish kronor (about £871,400) prize, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced in Stockholm on Tuesday.

The trio led a series of experiments that demonstrated how the strange properties of the quantum world can produce measurable effects in everyday systems.

Their work included developing a superconducting electrical system capable of “tunnelling” between physical states — a phenomenon comparable to a ball passing straight through a wall instead of bouncing back.

The breakthrough paved the way for the next generation of quantum technologies, including quantum computers, cryptography and sensors.

Speaking at a press conference, Prof Clarke, who learned of the award via a phone call, said, “To put it mildly, it was the surprise of my life.”