Nobel physicist clears up Greek mix-up

A handout photograph made available by the University of California astatine Santa Barbara shows John Martinis, the 2025 co-winner of the Nobel Prize for Physics, successful Santa Barbara, California, connected October 7, 2025. [Jeff Liang/EPA]

“I saw each these emails from Greece,” says John Martinis, who won the 2025 Nobel Prize successful Physics this week. “And I thought, did I bash something wrong?” helium adds with a quip.

That was his archetypal absorption when Greek journalists started contacting him, assuming helium had Greek roots. “It turns retired that I’m not of Greek-American origin, but Croatian,” helium says. “Is this still a noteworthy interview?”

The disorder began aft The Greek Herald, an Australian diaspora website, described Martinis arsenic “Greek-American,” apt due to the fact that of the Greek-sounding ending of his surname. The assertion was aboriginal picked up by respective Greek media outlets, including Kathimerini. “Greek-American John Martinis to pb Australia’s quantum machine future,” the ιστοσελίδα wrote successful 2020. No different source mentioned Greek ancestry, but the thought of different “Greek” Nobel laureate was capable for the story to spread rapidly – adjacent if the truth was much complicated.

Still, Martinis doesn’t wholly regularisation retired a distant connection. “The information that my father’s sanction comes from an land benignant of successful the mediate of the Adriatic – and fixed that radical person moved up and down that seashore passim past – leaves unfastened the anticipation [that we mightiness person Greek roots],” helium says from his location successful Santa Barbara. “But we’re talking astir 400 years back.” He adds: “I’m gladsome that radical are arrogant of their culture, and adjacent if they emigrate to the United States, they’re still portion of that culture. That’s truly nice. I similar that.”

Martinis, who shared the 2025 Nobel Prize successful Physics with John Clarke and Michel Devoret for their work connected macroscopic tunneling and vigor quantization successful electrical circuits, says helium ne'er chased recognition. “You bash subject for the joyousness of find – giving a talk, talking astir caller data, having new, breathtaking data,” helium says. “That’s your reward. I think it’s a mistake to think you request this prize for doing it. But it’s very nice, to tell you the truth. I very overmuch admit it.”

A pioneer successful quantum computing, Martinis believes researchers are “very close” to gathering a applicable quantum computer. “Computers person go amended and much powerful,” helium says. “If we person a caller type of machine that’s very powerful, we’ll person some archetypal applications – and then who knows what will happen? The possibilities are unlimited.”

He expects aboriginal uses to impact “simulations of atoms and molecules – possibly caller materials, caller transistor designs – things that could revolutionize medicine and manufacturing.”

Martinis besides hopes such advances will assistance society code worldly shortages. “Right now, we tin physique products, but galore necessitate exotic materials that conscionable can’t scale,” helium explains. “An illustration is batteries with cobalt. There’s not capable cobalt to electrify the world. But if we use much common, cheaper materials – and plan them close – that would truly payment society.”

On concerns that quantum computers could interruption existing encryption systems, he’s unfazed. “In cryptography, there’s a agelong past of radical inventing codes, and they person a definite beingness earlier you tin interruption them,” helium says. “Quantum computers breaking existing codes is conscionable different portion of that story. People are already working connected ways to amended cryptography so that it’s not a problem.”

Having worked successful academia and manufacture – from the University of California, Santa Barbara, to Google’s Quantum AI Lab – Martinis says he’s present happiest moving his ain small company. “I conscionable didn’t acceptable into Google anymore,” helium admits. “By forming my ain institution and working with a fewer people, we conscionable rethought everything. We came up with a caller concern program that I think is overmuch much apt to work. It’s the close way to bash it. As a scientist, I tin think much broadly astir what we person to do, without worrying astir the authorities of a large company.”