Nobel prize in physics goes to Prof. Francis Halzen for South Pole work on neutrinos.
Belgian physicist praised for work on the IceCube detector that observes the ghost-like particles in Antarctica.
The U.S. National Science Foundation congratulates Prof. Francis Halzen on winning the 2026 Nobel Prize in physics for his major contributions to the NSF IceCube Neutrino Observatory and its discoveries of elusive neutrino particles that come to Earth from distant places in the universe. Over more than two decades, NSF invested in the design, construction, and ongoing operations of IceCube, which has enabled greater understanding of astrophysical neutrinos and their origins.
When it was first proposed to NSF in the 1990s, IceCube was an ambitious vision for a scientific facility unlike any other. Halzen and other scientists devised a plan to put thousands of digital detectors more than two kilometers deep in the crystal-clear ice of the South Pole, an ideal location to spot neutrinos. Oftentimes called “ghost particles,” neutrinos exist in great quantities but normally pass straight through Earth undetected. Just detecting a single neutrino is a daunting challenge, but IceCube was made to detect many — and determine where they are coming from.
Read more at: https://www.nsf.gov/mps/updates/2026-nobel-prize-physics-awarded-nsf-icecube-neutrino?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery
Prof Francis Halzen, a Belgian particle physicist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, led work on the IceCube neutrino Observatory, which made the first detection of high-energy extraterrestrial neutrinos in 2013, soon after it was switched on.
Announcing the prize on Tuesday October 6, 2026, the Nobel committee said Halzen won “for decisive contributions to the IceCube neutrino observatory and the discovery of high-energy neutrinos of astrophysical origin”
Pic to the right, show the IceCube Neutrino Observatory at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station,(WAP USA-36) in Antarctica.
Photo credit to: Martin Wolf/IceCube/NSF
From Antarctic Ice to the Nobel Prize!
Heartiest congratulations to Prof. Francis Halzen on being awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics for the groundbreaking work behind the IceCube Neutrino Observatory at the South Pole. A proud moment for the entire polar science community. May this remarkable discovery inspire India to make new frontiers in polar science and exploration.
A first comments came. TNX VU3BPZ Bhagwati Prasad.