The Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to a scientist from the United States for his research on neutrinos, which help to study the Universe

The 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to American scientist Francis Halzen. He was recognized for his crucial contributions to the IceCube observatory and the discovery of high-energy neutrinos of astrophysical origin.

This was reported on the award website.

Halzen was the first to realize that ice at the South Pole could be used to track particles known as neutrinos. Scientists believe these tiny cosmic particles hold clues to the evolution of the universe. Neutrinos are emitted by stars like the Sun, and trillions of them pass through our bodies every second.

It is impossible to see neutrinos directly. Scientists detect them through the effects of collisions with other particles — during such interactions, flashes of light or charged particles are produced. Halzen studied rare neutrinos, which scientists consider to be a kind of messengers from space.

Last year, the Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to Briton John Clarke, Frenchman Michel Devoret, and American John Martinis for their research into quantum tunneling, a phenomenon that enabled the ultra-sensitive measurements used in MRI machines and laid the foundation for the creation of more advanced mobile phones and faster computers.

• The 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to American neuroscientist Carl Deisseroth and German scientists Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel for their discovery of light-sensitive ion channels and the development of optogenetics.

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