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News: Francis Halzen won the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics for contributions to IceCube and discovery of high-energy astrophysical neutrinos.

About 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics

Winner: The 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to Francis Halzen.
- He is from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, United States.
Awarded for: It was awarded for contributions to the IceCube Neutrino Observatory and the discovery of high-energy neutrinos of astrophysical origin.
Key Contributions by Winner:
- IceCube development: In 1988, he proposed an instrument to capture high-energy neutrinos at the South Pole.
  - He later led an international team of researchers and engineers that developed the IceCube detector.
- Neutrino discovery: IceCube enabled the discovery of high-energy neutrinos originating outside the solar system.

Neutrinos are tiny, almost massless particles that rarely interact with other particles and can pass through matter unnoticed.
They can originate from natural particle accelerators in the universe and reach earth without changing direction or losing energy.

Location: It is located near the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station in Antarctica.
Built by: It was built and maintained by the IceCube Collaboration, led by the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Aim: It was designed to observe neutrinos from the most violent astrophysical sources.
Working Mechanism:
- Detection: A neutrino occasionally collides with an atomic nucleus in the ice and produces charged particles.
- Light production: These particles generate faint flashes of blue light.
- Sensor detection: 5,160 optical sensors embedded in about one cubic kilometre of ice detect this light.
- Analysis: Scientists use the radiation’s properties to study the neutrino and understand its cosmic origin.