Francis Halzen won the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics on October 6 for his contributions to the IceCube observatory and the discovery of high-energy neutrinos from space, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced in Stockholm. The Belgian-born physicist conducts his scientific work at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
According to the scientific journal Nature, Halzen receives the entire prize of 12 million Swedish kronor. The award recognizes work that opened a way to investigate distant cosmic events through particles that are exceptionally difficult to observe. The university where he works identifies him as IceCube’s principal investigator.
The Swedish academy explains that neutrinos usually pass through Earth and human bodies unnoticed. Rare interactions with atomic nuclei make detection possible. Halzen proposed using South Pole ice in 1988; light sensors buried in the clear ice record flashes associated with these interactions, turning a natural material into a detector.
IceCube uses a cubic kilometre of ice because extremely energetic cosmic neutrinos are so rare, according to the academy. The American Physical Society reports that construction began in 2004, the final sensor string went into the ice in December 2010, and the first run with the full instrument began in May 2011.
The academy says these neutrinos carry information about powerful natural particle accelerators far beyond Earth. Because they can reach observers without changing direction or losing energy, they help researchers investigate where those sources are and what happens inside them. The observations provide a route to studying the universe beyond light alone.
Speaking by telephone from Italy during the announcement, Halzen expressed surprise and said he hoped the prize would help a proposal he was preparing, according to AP. He did not present that hope as an approval. The recognition puts renewed attention on the scientific effort to trace high-energy particles to their cosmic origins.
Comments