The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics to Francis Halzen for his significant contributions to the IceCube Neutrino Observatory in Antarctica and the discovery of high-energy neutrinos originating from outer space.
Neutrinos are often dubbed "ghost particles" because they can pass through the Earth and the human body without leaving a noticeable trace and rarely interact with matter. Since neutrinos are unaffected by magnetic fields, their trajectory can be traced directly back to their source in space.
Halzen realized that the pristine ice at the South Pole could be used to detect neutrino signatures, and in 1988, he proposed the construction of the IceCube Neutrino Observatory with a volume of one cubic kilometer. IceCube comprises over 5,000 sensors installed within approximately one cubic kilometer of ice, reaching depths of up to 2,500 meters.
Neutrinos produce light when they collide with atomic nuclei—light that can be detected by sensors embedded in the clear glacial ice. The ice at the South Pole offers numerous advantages, as it is free from various types of interference and the region is geologically stable, with no seismic activity.
Neutrino detection enables scientists to study cosmic phenomena such as exploding stars, black holes, and gamma-ray bursts. As the recipient of the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics, Francis Halzen receives a prize of 12 million Swedish kronor (approximately RM4.91 million).
