Francis Halzen wins Nobel Prize in Physics for IceCube neutrino discoveries
6 October 2026
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced on 6 October 2026 that the Nobel Prize in Physics 2026 goes to Francis Halzen of the University of Wisconsin–Madison, USA.
The citation reads: for decisive contributions to the IceCube Neutrino Observatory and the discovery of high-energy neutrinos of astrophysical origin.
Halzen first presented his vision for capturing neutrinos at the South Pole in 1988.
IceCube covers a cubic kilometre of South Pole ice equipped with light sensors and was finished in 2011.
The prize amount is 12 million Swedish kronor.
In plain words
Neutrino Neutrino — A particle that passes through matter almost without interacting and keeps its direction from its source.
IceCube IceCube Neutrino Observatory — A detector made of a cubic kilometre of South Pole ice fitted with light sensors.