Francis Halzen wins 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics for neutrino astronomy
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics to Francis Halzen of the University of Wisconsin–Madison, principal investigator of the IceCube Neutrino Observatory, for decisive contributions to the observatory and the discovery of high-energy neutrinos of astrophysical origin.
Halzen’s 1988 proposal to instrument a cubic kilometre of Antarctic ice created an entirely new kind of astronomy — using ghostly neutrinos to map the universe’s most violent events.
He is the first solo physics laureate since 1992. The Nobel week continued with the literature prize going to Anne Carson and the peace prize to Navi Pillay.
The IceCube observatory, buried deep in Antarctic ice, has opened a new window on the cosmos, detecting neutrinos from distant galaxies.
