In brief
Belgian physicist Prof Francis Halzen has been awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for leading the IceCube project, a cubic‑kilometre neutrino observatory at the South Pole. IceCube uses buried light sensors in Antarctic ice to detect elusive neutrinos that carry clues about violent, high‑energy events across the universe. Halzen first outlined the idea in 1988 and has since transformed it into a world‑class instrument that now helps scientists map the cosmos in a new way. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences praised his vision and leadership as fundamental to the observatory’s success.
Belgian physicist Prof Francis Halzen has won the Nobel Prize in Physics for his pioneering work on an observatory that detects particles from space, shedding light on the distant universe.
Halzen led the development of IceCube at the South Pole, which uses a cubic kilometre of Antarctic ice fitted with light sensors to detect particles called neutrinos. These carry information about violent, high‑energy processes in the cosmos.
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said "his vision and scientific leadership have been fundamental for the IceCube Neutrino Observatory".
Halzen first presented his vision for detecting neutrinos at the South Pole in 1988.
