Nobel Prize in Physics 2026: Francis Halzen awarded for work on cosmic neutrinos

The Nobel Prize in Physics 2026 has been awarded to Francis Halzen for “decisive contributions to the IceCube Neutrino Observatory and the discovery of high-energy neutrinos of astrophysical origin," the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced on Tuesday.Francis Halzen is a Belgian-American physicist and professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he has been a leading figure in neutrino physics.Born in Tienen, Belgium, in 1944, Halzen has played a central role in the development of the IceCube Neutrino Observatory at the South Pole, a massive detector designed to study elusive neutrinos. His work helped establish the detection of high-energy neutrinos originating from astrophysical sources, opening a new way of observing and studying the universe.Halzen was instrumental in recognising that the enormous volume of transparent Antarctic ice could serve as a detector for the fleeting flashes produced when high-energy neutrinos interact with matter.