Editing John Clarke (section)

== The Discovery — Listening to Quantum Whispers ==

=== The Quantum Challenge ===
Quantum mechanics describes how particles behave at the smallest scales — atoms, photons, and electrons.

But for most of the 20th century, physicists believed quantum effects would '''disappear in the macroscopic world''', overwhelmed by noise and thermal energy.

=== Clarke’s Breakthrough — The SQUID Revolution ===
In the 1970s, Dr. John Clarke and his collaborators developed the '''Superconducting Quantum Interference Device''', known as the '''SQUID''' — one of the most sensitive magnetic sensors ever built.

The SQUID detects tiny changes in magnetic fields by exploiting '''quantum interference''' in superconducting loops. It can measure fields a billion times weaker than Earth’s magnetic field — sensitive enough to pick up brain and heart activity or to probe quantum fluctuations themselves. ''(source: Nature)''<blockquote>“We created an instrument that could listen to the faintest signals in the universe — whispers of quantum behavior,”

Clarke said in a 2025 interview after receiving the Nobel Prize. ''(source: AP)''</blockquote>

=== Macroscopic Quantum Tunneling ===
Clarke’s research demonstrated that '''quantum tunneling and coherence''' — effects once thought exclusive to atoms — could occur in electrical circuits made of superconductors.

This finding blurred the boundary between the classical and quantum worlds and paved the way for '''quantum electronics''' and '''superconducting qubits'''. ''(source: Reuters)''
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