John Martinis: The Greek-American quantum physicist who won the Nobel Prize in Physics

Those who cognize John Martinis good conjecture that erstwhile helium learned helium had won the Nobel Prize successful Physics, on with chap physicists John Clarke and Michel Devoret, helium simply smiled.

A starring adept successful quantum computing, Martinis has worked with Google, and successful caller years, helium and Michelle Simmons person been striving toward a bold goal: building the archetypal commercially disposable quantum computer — a situation acold from easy.

His Background

Now 67 years old, Martinis grew up successful the United States and studied astatine the University of California, Berkeley, wherever John Clarke was his PhD advisor. There, helium besides met Michel Devoret, with whom helium collaborated connected probe into the quantum behaviour of a macroscopic variable.

Over the years, Martinis worked astatine apical probe institutions specified arsenic CEA Saclay successful Paris and the NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) successful the U.S., wherever helium developed a method for detecting X-rays.

This progressive the usage of a superconducting transition-edge microcalorimeter with electrothermal feedback.

The Quantum Dream Begins

In 2002, astatine the property of 44, Martinis began pursuing the imagination of gathering the first quantum computer. Two years later, helium moved to California, becoming a prof of experimental physics astatine the University of California, Santa Barbara.

This marked the opening of his emergence to the apical — a travel filled with hard enactment and a imaginativeness that would yet request the assistance of a tech elephantine to travel to life.

The Google Years and Breakthrough

That elephantine was Google, which approached Martinis 10 years later. The Greek-American prof and his squad signed a multimillion-dollar agreement with Google to physique a quantum machine utilizing superconducting qubits.

With entree to cutting-edge technology, Martinis and his squad worked tirelessly. In 2019, they achieved what galore thought was astir impossible:

They built a quantum machine susceptible of solving, successful conscionable 3 minutes and 20 seconds, a occupation that would instrumentality a classical supercomputer thousands of years to complete.

Beyond Google

Martinis near Google successful 2020, but continued moving successful quantum mechanics with Clarke and Devoret. He besides began collaborating with Michelle Simmons’ company, SQC (Silicon Quantum Computing), aiming to conception the first commercialized quantum computer.

“If we tin successfully physique one,” helium said astatine the time, “it volition beryllium a large accomplishment with a immense interaction connected humanity.”

Nobel Recognition

Five years later, the persistent Greek-American physicist — whose publication to the fields of physics and quantum mechanics is recognized worldwide — received the highest grant from the Swedish Academy: the Nobel Prize successful Physics, shared with his 2 long-time colleagues.