A Scientist Working on the ‘IceCube’ Neutrino Detector Explains the Nobel Prize–Winning Technology

Key points

• Francis Halzen, a professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, has won the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on neutrino detection. His team operates the IceCube Neutrino Observatory at the South Pole, which uses 5,160 sensors buried in ice to detect high-energy neutrinos from space.
• These particles, produced by cosmic events like supernova remnants and black holes, provide insights into high-energy cosmic-ray sources.
• The observatory has made significant discoveries, including detecting neutrinos from a high-energy blazar and observing the Milky Way as a diffuse source of neutrinos.