Belgian Francis Halczen Wins 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced on Tuesday that it had awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics to Belgian scientist Francis Halzen in recognition of his pioneering work in establishing the IceCube Neutrino Observatory, which tracks high-energy neutrinos in the universe and their origins.

In a statement, the Academy said that Halzen, 82, recognized the potential of using Antarctic ice to detect neutrinos and led the effort to build IceCube, a cubic-kilometer-scale detector embedded in the ice and equipped with optical sensors.

The Observatory has enabled researchers to discover high-energy neutrinos originating from distant regions beyond the solar system, opening a new field in astronomy, as these particles carry new information about the universe.

Mark Persson, chair of the Nobel Committee for Physics, said at a press conference that Halzen’s scientific vision and perseverance had paved the way for a new type of astronomy.

Halzen, a professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the United States, is scheduled to receive the award at a formal ceremony in Stockholm in December.

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences selects the laureates of the Nobel Prize in Physics, each of whom receives a monetary award of 1.2 million US dollars.