Francis Halzen wins the Physics Nobel for the IceCube neutrino observatory
6 October 2026
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics 2026 to Francis Halzen.
He was recognised for decisive contributions to the IceCube Neutrino Observatory and the discovery of high-energy neutrinos of astrophysical origin.
IceCube is a detector built into the clear ice beneath the South Pole in Antarctica.
When a neutrino strikes an atomic nucleus in the ice it makes a flash of light that buried sensors record.
Neutrinos are called ghost particles because they pass through matter almost without interacting.
Halzen, a Belgian physicist, first proposed the project in 1988.
The award ceremony is on 10 December.
In plain words
Neutrino Neutrino — A nearly massless subatomic particle that passes through matter almost without interacting.