the international Europhysics Prize
The European Physical Society has awarded the 2004 Agilent Technologies Europhysics Prize to Michel Devoret, professor of physics and applied physics, for the "realization and demonstration of the quantum bit concept based on superconducting circuits."
The superconducting electrical circuits that Devoret and his collaborators invented obey principles of quantum physics rather than classical Newtonian physics, the basis for electrical circuits in current computers.
Laws of quantum physics maintain that an object can be in two locations at the same time and that current can flow in opposite directions at the same time. Before Devoret's findings, such startling behavior seemed impossible in a circuit connected to ordinary wires and voltage sources.
The main application of quantum computers will be to do in minutes calculations that can take current computers a thousand years to complete. According to Devoret, the quantum computer is presently at a stage comparable to that of wireless communication in the early 1900s.
The Europhysics Prize, one of the most prestigious physics prizes presented in Europe, is given for internationally important areas of condensed matter physics.
Devoret, a renowned physicist who has been honored with numerous international awards, is one of three scientists to win the award this year. The other recipients are Daniel Esteve from France, Hans Mooij from the Netherlands and Yasonobu Nakamura from Japan.
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