The 2026 prize recognizes Halzen’s role in developing the IceCube detector and research on neutrinos from cosmic sources.
The 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to Francis Halzen for contributions to the IceCube neutrino detector and research on high-energy neutrinos from astrophysical sources, NTV reported.
IceCube is embedded in Antarctic ice and uses a vast volume of transparent ice to register rare interactions involving neutrinos. These particles interact only weakly with matter, so detecting them can help researchers study distant cosmic objects and energetic events. The award highlights the development of neutrino astronomy into an observational field.
Halzen, a Belgian-born physicist based in the United States, helped lead the research and international effort behind IceCube. The Nobel committee’s official announcement provides the authoritative citation for the award.
The committee had announced the medicine laureates the previous day, with the chemistry prize scheduled for Oct. 7.