Francis Halzen wins Nobel Prize in physics for work on mysterious ghost particles called neutrinos

Francis Halzen won the Nobel Prize in physics in Stockholm on Tuesday for work on rare neutrinos that offer clues to how the universe evolved. The Nobel Committee said his efforts were instrumental to building the IceCube Neutrino Observatory in Antarctica. The observatory opened a new way to study distant galaxies and exploding stars. Halzen said the award was a great surprise and hoped it would help get a proposal approved.

Halzen is 82 years old, was born in Belgium and is affiliated with the University of Wisconsin–Madison, which operates the IceCube Neutrino Observatory.

Neutrinos have an extremely small mass, come from stars such as the sun and pass through human bodies in enormous numbers every second.

Scientists detect neutrinos indirectly by measuring flashes of light or charged particles produced when they collide with other matter.

The Nobel Prize money is 12 million Swedish kronor, or about $1.2 million, for an individual, small group of laureates or organization.

Published Oct 6, 2026 8:13 pm KST

Updated Oct 6, 2026 8:15 pm KST

A portrait of Francis Halzen, a scientist affiliated with the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the United States, is shown on the screen during the announcement of the recipient of the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm, Tuesday. EPA-Yonhap

STOCKHOLM — Francis Halzen won the Nobel Prize in physics on Tuesday for his efforts to demystify a rare group of neutrinos, tiny cosmic particles that scientists believe offer clues to how the universe evolved.

“It was a great surprise and I obviously didn’t expect it,” Halzen said, speaking to the committee by phone from Italy, in a call broadcast at the news conference to announce the winner.

Halzen said it was predicted before that he would win the Nobel Prize but the announcement still made him feel “strange.”

“I am working on a proposal, and I hope that this prize will help getting it approved,” he said to chuckles from the audience.

Halzen paved the way for a new kind of astronomy

The Nobel Committee for Physics also said Halzen’s work was instrumental to the construction of the IceCube Neutrino Observatory in Antarctica.

“Francis Halzen realized that the ice at the South Pole could visualize these neutrino messengers from cosmos,” committee member Eva Olsson said during the news conference. “People joined him in the quest for these neutrino messengers. The messenger is bringing information from cosmos. They opened the door to distant galaxies and tell us about the processes of exploding stars.”

Born in Belgium, the 82-year-old scientist is affiliated with the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the U.S, which operates the IceCube Neutrino Observatory. Efforts by The Associated Press to reach him were not immediately successful.

Neutrinos are tiny cosmic particles with a mind-bogglingly small mass. Yet they are everywhere: they spew from stars like the sun and trillions zip through our bodies every second.

Scientists can’t glimpse the mysterious ghost particles zooming around on their own. Instead, they measure what happens when the tiny particles collide with other bits of matter, producing flashes of light or charged particles.

Halzen helped pull the curtain back on a rare gang of neutrinos that scientists consider messengers from the cosmos, offering clues to how the universe evolved.

“This experiment in the Antarctic is a revolutionary way of understanding the universe that we didn’t have before,” said Michael Moloney, chief executive officer for the American Institute of Physics.

A representative from the IceCube Neutrino Observatory did not immediately return a request for comment. The University of Wisconsin–Madison did not immediately have a comment when reached by the AP.

Prize money is about $1.2 million

Ellen Moons, secretary-general of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, announced the award Tuesday in Stockholm. She is the first woman to head the prestigious academy and present the award.

The prize money this year is 12 million Swedish kronor (about $1.2 million), whether for an individual, a small group of laureates or an organization.

Last year, three scientists won the Nobel Prize in physics for research on the strange behavior of subatomic particles called quantum tunneling that enabled the ultrasensitive measurements achieved by MRI machines and laid the groundwork for better cellphones and faster computers.

The announcements of this year's prizes began Monday with the Nobel Prize in medicine being awarded to three scientists whose work led to a tool that uses light to help unravel how the brain works.

This week's awards continue Wednesday with the chemistry prize and literature on Thursday. After Friday’s peace prize is awarded, the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences will be announced on Monday.

弗朗西斯·哈尔岑周二在斯德哥尔摩荣获诺贝尔物理学奖，以表彰他对稀有中微子的研究，这些研究为揭示宇宙演化提供了线索。诺贝尔委员会表示，他的努力对南极洲冰立方中微子天文台的建设起到了至关重要的作用。该天文台开辟了研究遥远星系和超新星的新途径。哈尔岑表示，获奖让他感到非常意外，并希望这能帮助他的一项研究提案获得批准。

哈尔岑今年 82 岁，出生于比利时，隶属于威斯康星大学麦迪逊分校，该校运营着冰立方中微子天文台。

中微子的质量极小，来自太阳等恒星，每秒钟都有大量的中微子穿过人体。

科学家通过测量中微子与其他物质碰撞时产生的闪光或带电粒子来间接探测中微子。

诺贝尔奖奖金为 1200 万瑞典克朗，约合 120 万美元，颁发给个人、一小群获奖者或一个组织。

发布于2026年10月6日晚上8:13（韩国标准时间）

更新于2026年10月6日晚上8:15（韩国标准时间）

周二，在斯德哥尔摩瑞典皇家科学院宣布2026年诺贝尔物理学奖得主时，屏幕上出现了美国威斯康星大学麦迪逊分校科学家弗朗西斯·哈尔岑的肖像。图片来源：EPA-Yonhap

斯德哥尔摩——弗朗西斯·哈尔岑周二荣获诺贝尔物理学奖，以表彰他为揭开一类罕见的中微子（一种微小的宇宙粒子，科学家认为它们能提供宇宙演化的线索）的神秘面纱所做的努力。

“这真是个巨大的惊喜，我显然没想到，”哈尔岑在意大利通过电话向委员会发表讲话时说道。这段电话讲话在宣布获奖者的新闻发布会上进行了广播。

哈尔岑表示，之前就有人预测他会获得诺贝尔奖，但宣布获奖时他仍然感到“很奇怪”。

“我正在准备一份提案，希望这个奖项能帮助我的提案获得批准，”他的话引得观众一阵轻笑。

哈尔岑为一种新型天文学铺平了道路。

诺贝尔物理学奖委员会还表示，哈尔岑的工作对南极洲冰立方中微子天文台的建设起到了至关重要的作用。

“弗朗西斯·哈尔岑意识到，南极的冰层可以观测到来自宇宙的这些中微子信使，”委员会成员伊娃·奥尔森在新闻发布会上说。“人们加入了他的行列，共同探索这些中微子信使。这些信使带来了来自宇宙的信息。它们打开了通往遥远星系的大门，并向我们揭示了恒星爆炸的过程。”

这位82岁的科学家出生于比利时，目前就职于美国威斯康星大学麦迪逊分校，该校运营着冰立方中微子天文台。美联社试图联系他，但尚未成功。

中微子是质量小得令人难以置信的微小宇宙粒子。然而它们无处不在：它们从太阳等恒星喷射而出，每秒钟都有数万亿个中微子穿过我们的身体。

科学家们无法直接观测到这些神秘的幽灵粒子自行高速运动。他们只能通过测量这些微小粒子与其他物质碰撞时产生的现象来判断，例如闪光或带电粒子。

哈尔岑帮助揭开了罕见的中微子群的神秘面纱，科学家们认为它们是来自宇宙的信使，为了解宇宙的演化提供了线索。

“这项在南极进行的实验是一种革命性的理解宇宙的方式，这是我们以前从未有过的，”美国物理学会首席执行官迈克尔·莫洛尼说。

冰立方中微子天文台的一位代表尚未回复置评请求。美联社联系威斯康星大学麦迪逊分校时，该校也未立即置评。

奖金总额约为120万美元。

瑞典皇家科学院秘书长艾伦·穆恩斯周二在斯德哥尔摩宣布了这一奖项。她是首位领导这一享有盛誉的科学院并颁发该奖项的女性。

今年的奖金为 1200 万瑞典克朗（约合 120 万美元），无论是颁发给个人、一小群获奖者还是一个组织。

去年，三位科学家因对亚原子粒子奇异行为（称为量子隧穿）的研究而获得诺贝尔物理学奖。量子隧穿使得核磁共振成像仪能够进行超灵敏测量，并为更好的手机和更快的计算机奠定了基础。

今年的诺贝尔奖颁奖典礼于周一拉开帷幕，诺贝尔医学奖授予了三位科学家，他们的研究成果催生了一种利用光来帮助揭示大脑工作原理的工具。

本周的奖项颁奖典礼将于周三继续进行，届时将颁发化学奖，周四颁发文学奖。周五颁发和平奖后，诺贝尔经济学奖将于周一公布。