Francis Halzen wins 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics for IceCube neutrino discoveries
Belgian-American particle physicist Francis Halzen wins the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics for his decisive contributions to the IceCube Neutrino Observatory and the discovery of high-energy neutrinos of astrophysical origin.
The 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics has been awarded to Belgian-American particle physicist Francis Halzen “for decisive contributions to the IceCube Neutrino Observatory and the discovery of high-energy neutrinos of astrophysical origin”, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced on Tuesday.
Halzen is the driving force behind IceCube, the cubic-kilometre particle detector buried in Antarctic ice that in 2013 captured the first evidence of high-energy neutrinos arriving from beyond the Solar System — opening a new observational window on the universe.
He takes the full prize sum of 12 million Swedish crowns (about $1.2 million) as the sole laureate.
The physics award is the second of this year’s Nobels to be unveiled, following Monday’s medicine prize for optogenetics, with chemistry due on Wednesday. The medals will be presented by King Carl XVI Gustaf at a ceremony in Stockholm on December 10, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death.
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