Belgian Physicist Francis Halzen Awarded 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics for Antarctic 'Ghost Particle' Detector

At the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm, Sweden, Eva Olsson, Ellen Moons, and Mark Pearce gathered on October 6, 2026, in front of a screen displaying Francis Halzen as the recipient of the prestigious honor.

Belgian physicist Francis Halzen has secured the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics. His groundbreaking work involved creating a massive detector in Antarctica designed to capture neutrinos—often referred to as “ghost particles” originating from space—which scientists believe hold the key to understanding the evolution of the universe. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences made the announcement in Stockholm on Tuesday, highlighting Halzen's instrumental role in the construction of the IceCube Neutrino Observatory. According to the Academy, the neutrino interactions recorded by the facility offer vital data on how high-energy neutrinos are formed and could potentially uncover undiscovered phenomena.

Speaking to the committee via a phone call from Italy that was broadcasted during the press conference, Halzen expressed his astonishment. “It was a great surprise, and I obviously didn’t expect it,” the 82-year-old said. He mentioned that while his win had been predicted previously, the actual announcement still felt “strange.” He added with a chuckle, “I am working on a proposal, and I hope that this prize will help getting it approved.”

Neutrinos possess almost zero mass and carry no electric charge, enabling them to pass through planets, stars, and human bodies completely unaltered, which makes them exceedingly rare and difficult to detect. Every second, approximately 100 trillion solar and cosmic neutrinos stream through the human body. Halzen initially proposed the IceCube project back in 1988 after realizing that the exceptionally clear ice underneath the South Pole could function as a detector. Under this design, when a neutrino occasionally collides with an atomic nucleus, it produces a flash of light that buried sensors are able to record.

Richard Fitzgerald, editor-in-chief of Physics Today, pointed out that although the observatory was constructed by hundreds of individuals, it “all started with one person,” adding that the physics prize has rarely been awarded to a single winner in recent years. Committee member Eva Olsson noted during the press conference, “People joined him in the quest for these neutrino messengers. The messenger is bringing information from cosmos.” She further explained, “They opened the door to distant galaxies and tell us about the processes of exploding stars.”

Eva Lindroth, a researcher in Stockholm and member of the Nobel Committee, told Al Jazeera that Halzen’s observatory has significantly advanced scientists' comprehension of high-energy particles. “The nice thing with neutrinos is that they come straight at us,” she stated. “That way we can ultimately understand these sources of high-energy particles and understand more about how things in the universe, like how galaxies are formed and the roles of the black holes in that process. It gives a new way to study the universe. They give us information which we cannot get in any other way.”

The previous year's prize was awarded to John Clarke, Michel Devoret, and John Martinis for their experiments in quantum physics. Meanwhile, on Monday, the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine went to two American scientists for discoveries explaining brain functionality. The announcement for the Nobel Prize in Chemistry is scheduled for Wednesday in Stockholm. All Nobel laureates will be presented with their awards during a ceremony on December 10, commemorating the anniversary of Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, who founded the prize, with members of the royal families of Sweden and Norway expected to attend.