The 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics goes to Francis Halzen of the University of Wisconsin-Madison for his decisive contribution to the IceCube Neutrino Observatory and the discovery of high-energy neutrinos of astrophysical origin. The Royal Swedish Academy announced the award on October 6. It is the first undivided physics prize since 1991.
Halzen realized in 1988 that the clear ice at the South Pole could serve as a giant particle detector. IceCube now spreads light sensors through a cubic kilometre of ice and tracks the flashes produced when a neutrino interacts, which lets researchers trace each particle back to its origin in the sky. The collaboration involves more than 450 people at 58 institutions in 14 countries.
The prize is worth 12 million Swedish kronor, about $1.2 million, and the medal will be presented in Stockholm on December 10. The work opened a new way to observe the most violent events in the universe.