Belgian physicist awarded Nobel Prize for pioneering work tracking neutrino particles at South Pole
Belgian physicist Francis Halzen has been awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on the IceCube Neutrino Observatory. His research utilized Antarctic ice to detect high-energy neutrinos, providing new insights into cosmic processes.
Why it matters
This discovery advances our understanding of the universe's fundamental particles and the origins of cosmic radiation.
Halzen, 82, was recognized for "decisive contributions to the IceCube Neutrino Observatory and the discovery of high-energy neutrinos of astrophysical origin," the award-giving body said. The observatory is located at Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station in Antarctica.
Halzen realized that ice at the South Pole could be used to track neutrinos, sometimes known as "ghost particles" for the way they pass through the Earth and our bodies without a trace, only interacting with matter extremely rarely.
"The messengers bring information from the cosmos," Eva Olsson, of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, told a news conference. "They open the door to distant galaxies and tell us about the processes of exploding stars."
The winners of the Nobel physics prize are selected annually by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and receive a prize totalling 12 million Swedish crowns ($1.7 million Cdn).
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