UW Madison physicist wins 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics for neutrino research

Physicist Francis Halzen has won the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work using glacial ice at the South Pole to capture tiny particles called neutrinos. Halzen is a Belgium-born physicist and professor at the University of Wisconsin at Madison.

The Research

Halzen researches neutrinos in Antarctic ice to find their origin in distant space. He has worked on the IceCube project since 1987 and travels to the South Pole mostly in the warmer summer months between November and February. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm awarded him the prize for his decisive contributions to the IceCube Neutrino Observatory and the discovery of high-energy neutrinos coming from astrophysical sources.

Reactions

Mark Pearce, the chair of the Nobel Committee for Physics, praised Halzen for leading an international team of researchers and engineers. Pearce stated that Halzen's tenacity and scientific vision paved the way for a new kind of astronomy.

Context

Neutrinos are tiny subatomic particles that rarely interact with ordinary matter, making them very difficult to detect. Researchers study them deep underground or inside thick ice sheets to shield sensitive instruments from background radiation and capture rare particle signals.