Francis Halzen win Nobel Physics for IceCube neutrino discovery at South Pole

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences wear choose to award Nobel Prize in Physics 2026 to Francis Halzen of University of Wisconsin– Madison, USA for definitive contributions to the IceCube Neutrino Observatory and the discovery of high-energy neutrinos of astrophysical origin.

Francis Halzen understand state ice at the South Pole fit track particles called neutrinos. Him vision and clinical management wear be basic for the IceCube Neutrino Observatory, one cubic kilometre of ice wey dem gear up with light sensing units. Utilizing IceCube, scientists fit capture neutrinos from exceptionally energy-rich procedures in far-off universe.

Neutrinos dey all over, however dem no dey make themselves understood. Dem pass all the method through the Earth and through our bodies without us observing. Extremely seldom, one neutrino go connect with an atomic nucleus, that make am possible for individual with the ideal devices to find them.

Researchers wear understand long state the universes get natural particle accelerators wey dey fire out particles with energies approximately a million times more than laboratories in the world fit attain. Much about these sources still mystical: what are they, where are they, and what be the primary procedures inside them? Neutrinos with incredibly high energies dey produced in the very same environments as other kinds of particles. Unlike other particles, neutrinos reach us without altering instructions or losing energy. This mean dem in shape offer details wey no other method fit offer.

Francis Halzen initially present him vision for recording neutrinos at the South Pole in 1988. When a neutrino hit an atomic nucleus, e dey produce a flash of light wey sensing units fit track inside clear glacial ice. South Pole ice get lots of benefits: e devoid of different kinds of disturbance and the location geologically steady, without any earthquakes. Halzen and him concept quickly get assistance from other scientists and, simply a couple of years later on, initial screening occur on sensing units in ice.

Cosmic neutrinos with exceptionally high energies really uncommon, so a huge volume of ice dey required to observe sufficient accidents. IceCube cover a whole cubic kilometre and dem surface remain in 2011. Scientists quickly find the very first high-energy neutrinos and, a couple of years later on, release discovery of neutrinos wey need to stem far outside our planetary system. The look for deep space neutrino sources fit start in earnest.

Mark Pearce, Chair of the Nobel Committee for Physics, talk state, ‘Francis Halzen wear lead a worldwide group of scientists and engineers wey offer us with a wonderful instrument. Him perseverance and clinical vision put on lead the way for a brand-new sort of astronomy.’

The neutrino interactions wey IceCube dey gather constantly go supply scientists unique understanding about the violent settings where high-energy neutrinos fit dey developed, and e fit even expose formerly unidentified cosmic phenomena.

Halzen, Belgian-born physicist, born 1944 in Tienen, Belgium. Him PhD 1969 from KU Leuven, Belgium. He be teacher at University of Wisconsin– Madison, USA. Reward quantity na 12 million Swedish kronor.

Halzen lead the advancement of IceCube at the South Pole, which utilize a cubic kilometre of Antarctic ice fitted with light sensing units to find particles called neutrinos. These dey bring info about violent, high-energy procedures in the universes. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences talk state him vision and clinical management put on be essential for IceCube.

Halzen, who now be United States resident at University of Wisconsin– Madison, inform a press conference state he amaze state him concept work so well. ‘I need to stress how fortunate I was. Since when we began this job, everyone understand this was possibly a great concept, however extremely couple of believed it would work, including myself.’

Neutrinos na evasive subatomic particles. The Sun dey produce huge varieties of them: every 2nd, billions pass harmlessly through a location the size of your fingernail. IceCube dey search for much higher-energy neutrinos, those produced by violent procedures far beyond our Solar System, in far-off galaxies. It get countless sensing units on long cable televisions wey dem drill and freeze into a 1km cubic block of ice.

Neutrinos fit be huge messengers wey dey indicate those essential occasions. At the observatory, many neutrinos pass directly through the ice, however periodically one go communicate with it, producing particles wey dey emit an obvious flash of light. These unusual signals bring hints to where the neutrinos originate from and the severe conditions wey produce them, enabling researchers to examine locations wey regular telescopes no in shape quickly see.

On the unusual celebrations when a neutrino strike an atomic nucleus, e dey produce fast-moving charged particles. Na these dey race through the ice, and dem dey produce a blue radiance wey delicate light detectors fit get. The pattern and timing of that light permit researchers to approximate the instructions the neutrino originated from, assisting them trace its origins in the universes.

These interactions unusual sotey the observatory require a massive volume of clear ice. Halzen concept na to utilize a large natural ice sheet in Antarctica. Started an adventurous strategy to construct a neutrino observatory at the geographical South Pole, with thousands of light sensing units ingrained deep in the ice.

The neutrino ghostly nature, the very thing wey make am so difficult to identify, likewise make am an effective messenger from the far-off Universe. Neutrinos hardly ever connect with product in dia method, so dem healthy go right through thick areas wey light no fit quickly permeate. And due to the fact that dem no get electrical charge, electromagnetic fields no dey bend dia courses through area. That mean dia instructions of arrival fit point researchers back towards dia source. Dia energies bring additional insight into the procedures wey produce them, assisting researchers examine how blowing up stars and the environments around huge great voids speed up particles to amazing energies.

Louis Barson, director of science at the Institute of Physics in London, talk state the IceCube Observatory wear allow astronomers to examine phenomena wey traditional telescopes no fit see. ‘The discoveries that have actually followed are assisting us comprehend a few of the most energetic and mystical procedures in deep space– which be thanks to Professor Halzen work,’ he include.

Prof Subir Sarkar, physicist from the University of Oxford, quote French author Marcel Proust in explaining him evaluation of Halzen contribution to science: ‘The just real trip of discovery, the only water fountain of Eternal Youth, would be not to go to odd lands however to have other eyes, to witness deep space through the eyes of another, of a hundred others, to witness the hundred universes that each of them witnesses, that each of them is.’ ‘Francis Halzen has actually led the IceCube partnership on simply such a trip of discovery and opened a brand-new window on to our Universe.’