Belgian physicist Francis Halzen wins Nobel Prize in Physics
The prize recognises his contribution to IceCube and the discovery of high-energy neutrinos from the universe.
Follow-up to: Nobel Prize in Physics to be announced at 11.45am Tuesday, 6 October 2026, 08:38
Belgian physicist Francis Halzen was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics on Tuesday. The Nobel Committee honours his contribution to the IceCube detector at the South Pole and to research into high-energy neutrinos of cosmic origin.
The award follows De Vector’s earlier report that the winner would be announced at 11.45 am. Halzen alone receives the prize. According to The Associated Press, the Nobel Committee said his scientific vision and leadership of an international team of researchers and technicians were decisive.
IceCube uses a cubic kilometre of clear Antarctic ice as a detector. Thousands of light sensors embedded in the ice register tiny flashes of light when neutrinos interact with matter. Neutrinos have virtually no electric charge and therefore pass easily through matter. That makes them difficult to measure, but also suitable as messengers from regions that are difficult to study using ordinary light.
The research focuses on neutrinos with very high energy. Such particles can contain information about powerful astrophysical sources, such as active galaxies and other extreme environments. The University of Wisconsin-Madison writes that IceCube has provided indications of neutrino emission from the surroundings of supermassive black holes. In doing so, the instrument contributes to the search for the origin of cosmic rays.
Halzen was born in Belgium and studied at what was then KU Leuven. He has worked at the University of Wisconsin-Madison since 1972. According to his university, he began working on the predecessor project AMANDA in the late 1980s, which ultimately led to IceCube. The detector was built and is operated by an international collaboration led by Wisconsin-Madison.
The prize is not confirmation that all sources of cosmic rays are now known. The university describes the measurements as important indications, including of the role of active galaxies. Research into neutrinos and their sources continues; IceCube is used for new observations and alerts to other telescopes.
The Nobel Prize makes the result visible scientifically and socially, but does not change the status of individual measurements. They remain dependent on detector data, statistical analysis and follow-up research. The award-winning development concerns a research infrastructure and a research programme built up over decades, not a single recent observation.
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The article’s core is confirmed by AP and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The text clearly distinguishes between the Nobel award, existing research results and outstanding scientific questions.
- confirmed Francis Halzen received the Nobel Prize in Physics on 6 October 2026. — AP reports the announcement and names Halzen as a laureate. source
- confirmed The prize recognises his contribution to IceCube and research into high-energy neutrinos of astrophysical origin. — This appears in AP’s account of the motivation. source
- confirmed Halzen was born in Belgium and works at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. — The university records his birthplace, education and appointment. source
- confirmed IceCube uses a cubic kilometre of Antarctic ice as a detector. — The university describes IceCube as a detector in a cubic kilometre of natural ice. source
Editor's note
The prize and the motivation were confirmed by AP. The technical background and Halzen’s career were checked with his university and IceCube; the precise Nobel publication was not independently available in the search results consulted.Sources
- Francis Halzen wins Nobel Prize in physics for work on high-energy neutrinos of astrophysical origin — Associated Press
- Francis Halzen — University of Wisconsin-Madison
- IceCube Neutrino Observatory — IceCube
The story so far
- Tuesday, 6 October 2026, 08:38 Nobel Prize in Physics to be announced at 11.45am
- Tuesday, 6 October 2026, 12:36 Belgian physicist Francis Halzen wins Nobel Prize in Physics (this article)
More on this in Dutch media
- NU.nl — „francis halzen”
- De Telegraaf — „francis halzen”
- AD — „francis halzen”