Nobel Physics Prize goes to Belgian physicist for work on 'ghost messengers from space'

Belgian physicist Francis Halzen has won the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on the detection of high-energy neutrinos from space, the Nobel committee announced on Tuesday.

Halzen, 82, was recognised for his key contributions to the IceCube Neutrino Observatory at the South Pole and the discovery of high-energy neutrinos originating from astrophysical sources.

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said Halzen’s scientific leadership was crucial to the development of the observatory, which uses thousands of light sensors embedded in about a cubic kilometre of Antarctic ice.

The facility allows scientists to detect neutrinos, tiny subatomic particles produced by extremely energetic events in distant parts of the universe.

Ellen Moons, secretary general of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, described the particles as “ghostly messengers from space” while announcing the award.

Nobel Committee for Physics member Eva Olsson said the observatory essentially consists of a huge block of ice at the South Pole that enables scientists to detect neutrinos. Halzen was born in Tienen, Belgium, and is a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the United States.

Speaking by telephone after the announcement, he said the award came as a surprise and that he had not expected to receive it. “It was a great surprise, and I obviously didn’t expect it,” he said. “But it’s a great pleasure to hear about this prize,” Halzen added.

The Physics award is the second Nobel to be announced this year. The Medicine Prize was awarded on Monday to Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel for their work on optogenetics, a technique that uses light to control nerve signals.