Nobel Prize in Physics 2025 • Hacker News Board

Re: Nobel Prize in Physics 2025

#21

Post by DiscourseFan » Tue, Oct 07, 2025, 11:02 AM UTC

Hikikomori wrote: post #17

phoronixrly wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not in the immediate future. US scientists can and will find refuge in other countries for the time being. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00938-y

A lot of their researchers are immigrants and will just return to their country. New students will stop coming and stay in their home country. America is cooked.

No, attending a US university in a STEM subject is one of the only reliable ways to migrate to the country now that they've made it much harder to get H1b visas. The flow of immigrants seeking an American education will not stop any time soon.

Re: Nobel Prize in Physics 2025

#22

Post by dataviz1000 » Tue, Oct 07, 2025, 11:06 AM UTC

Michel H. Devoret, Chief Scientist at Google Quantum AI, and in April 2020 John M. Martinis resigned from Google after being reassigned to an advisory role. [0]

Sounds like there was some politics shenanigans between them where Martinis was moved into a useless role and took the hint at the height of covid lockdown.

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michel_Devoret

Re: Nobel Prize in Physics 2025

#23

Post by Metacelsus » Tue, Oct 07, 2025, 11:10 AM UTC

This award involved some clever engineering to set up quantum effects in a macroscopic system, but was there any new physics involved here?

(Still better than last year's award which wasn't really physics at all!)

Re: Nobel Prize in Physics 2025

#24

Post by jcynix » Tue, Oct 07, 2025, 11:14 AM UTC

Intermernet wrote: post #12

I remember being introduced to this research when reading a weird paper on the unexpected efficiency of photosynthesis, but now I can't find that paper. Anyone got any hints?

Maybe you can find the paper you ate looking for starting here? https://newscenter.lbl.gov/2025/07/08/how-plants-manage-ligh...

Tip: this page links to further reading of older stuff.

Re: Nobel Prize in Physics 2025

#25

Post by handscarlsen » Tue, Oct 07, 2025, 11:16 AM UTC

Intermernet wrote: post #12

I remember being introduced to this research when reading a weird paper on the unexpected efficiency of photosynthesis, but now I can't find that paper. Anyone got any hints?

why annoy credible scientists when there is an AI underlord available. Unexpected Quantum Efficiency of Photosynthesis: cite papers -->perplexity.ai

hints galore.

Re: Nobel Prize in Physics 2025

#26

Post by SiempreViernes » Tue, Oct 07, 2025, 11:21 AM UTC

Metacelsus wrote: post #23

This award involved some clever engineering to set up quantum effects in a macroscopic system, but was there any new physics involved here? (Still better than last year's award which wasn't really physics at all!)

They discovered that the theory worked in a regime it hadn't been tested before; I'm not sure what "new physics" means in your sentence: it is a core assumption of physics that it's rules are always true, that all physics has always existed.

Re: Nobel Prize in Physics 2025

#27

Post by ctenb » Tue, Oct 07, 2025, 11:23 AM UTC

dataviz1000 wrote: post #22

Michel H. Devoret, Chief Scientist at Google Quantum AI, and in April 2020 John M. Martinis resigned from Google after being reassigned to an advisory role. [0] Sounds like there was some politics shenanigans between them where Martinis was moved into a useless role and took the hint at the height of covid lockdown. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michel_Devoret

You linked the wrong article

Re: Nobel Prize in Physics 2025

#28

Post by geremiiah » Tue, Oct 07, 2025, 11:28 AM UTC

Metacelsus wrote: post #23

This award involved some clever engineering to set up quantum effects in a macroscopic system, but was there any new physics involved here? (Still better than last year's award which wasn't really physics at all!)

Comments like these make me realize most people have no clue what science is really like.

Re: Nobel Prize in Physics 2025

#29

Post by dotnet00 » Tue, Oct 07, 2025, 11:33 AM UTC

DiscourseFan wrote: post #21

Hikikomori wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A lot of their researchers are immigrants and will just return to their country. New students will stop coming and stay in their home country. America is cooked.

No, attending a US university in a STEM subject is one of the only reliable ways to migrate to the country now that they've made it much harder to get H1b visas. The flow of immigrants seeking an American education will not stop any time soon.

That still involves H1B though? Student visas are non-immigrant, you still have to transition to an immigrant visa like H1B to actually stay past 1+2 years of STEM OPT

Re: Nobel Prize in Physics 2025

#30

Post by chrysander » Tue, Oct 07, 2025, 11:41 AM UTC

More than deserved!

Both Devoret and Martinis are also highly involved in pushing quantum engineering to new levels - Devoret at Google Quantum AI and Martinis (formerly at Google) with his company, Qolab.

Coincidentally, I have a close friend doing his PhD with Devoret and know someone working with Martinis. I am curious to see if they will ever see their respective supervisors again, given that the Nobel Prize attention will likely garner them countless invitations for talks and keynotes...