Francis Halzen wins 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics

Belgian-American particle physicist Francis Halzen has won the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics for "decisive contributions to the IceCube Neutrino Observatory and the discovery of high-energy neutrinos of astrophysical origin". The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced the award on Tuesday.Halzen is a physics professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He was born in 1944 in Tienen, Belgium.The prize and the selectionThe winners of the physics prize are selected by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. The prize sum is 12 million Swedish crowns ($1.2 million), which is shared among the winners if there are several.The Nobel Prizes were established under the will of Alfred Nobel, a Swedish inventor and entrepreneur whose fortune was built in part on the invention of dynamite. They were first awarded in 1901 and honour achievements in science, literature and peace. The economics award was added later by Sweden's central bank.Physics had a prominent place in Nobel's will, and the prize remains one of the discipline's highest distinctions. Past laureates include Albert Einstein, Marie and Pierre Curie, Max Planck and Niels Bohr.Last year's winnersJohn Clarke, Michel Devoret and John Martinis shared the 2025 physics prize. The three are based in the United States. They were recognised for experiments that made the behaviour of the subatomic world observable in a system large enough to see with the naked eye. The research is seen as helping to advance the next generation of computing and other digital technologies.Other prizes this yearThe physics award is the second of six Nobel Prizes this year. Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine on Monday. They were honoured for the discovery of a neuroscience tool that may one day lead to a treatment for blindness.The remaining announcements are scheduled as follows:Chemistry, Wednesday: The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences will announce the prize in Stockholm. Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson and Omar Yaghi won last year for developing molecular building blocks with spaces large enough for gases and other chemicals to flow through them.Literature, Thursday: The Swedish Academy will announce the prize in Stockholm. Hungarian novelist Laszlo Krasznahorkai, known for dystopian themes and relentless prose, won last year.Peace, Friday: The Norwegian Nobel Institute will announce the prize in Oslo. Maria Corina Machado won last year after building a social movement in Venezuela that challenged the country's authoritarian president.Economic Sciences, next Monday: The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences will announce the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences in Stockholm. Joel Mokyr, Philippe Aghion and Peter Howitt won last year for research explaining the relationship between technological progress and sustained economic growth.All announcements are streamed live by the Nobel Prize organisation.Award ceremonyKing Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden will present the Nobel medals at a ceremony in Stockholm on December 10, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel's death. A banquet at Stockholm City Hall follows the awards. The peace prize is the only Nobel not presented in Sweden and is awarded separately in Oslo.Get the latest Education News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.