Francis Halzen won the Nobel Prize in physics on Tuesday for his contributions to the IceCube Neutrino Observatory and his discovery of high-energy neutrinos of astrophysical origin.

“Francis Halzen has led an international team of researchers and engineers who have provided us with a fantastic instrument," said Mark Pearce, chair of the Nobel Committee for Physics. "His tenacity and scientific vision has paved the way for a new kind of astronomy.”

"This year's prize is about ghostly messengers from space," said Ellen Moons, secretary-general of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences noted that Halzen's "vision and scientific leadership" had been fundamental for the observatory, which it described as "a cubic kilometre of ice that is equipped with light sensors".

Using the observatory, researchers can capture neutrinos – rare subatomic particles – "from extremely energy-rich processes in the distant universe".

"This Nobel Prize is about a giant ice cube positioned at the South Pole of our globe. The ice cube enables the detection of neutrinos," said professor Eva Olsson, a member of the Nobel Committee for Physics.

Halzen spoke to the committee by phone from Italy.

“It was a great surprise and I obviously didn’t expect it,” he said.

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

Born in Belgium, the 82-year-old scientist is affiliated with the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the United States.

The IceCube Neutrino Observatory is a research facility located at the South Pole in Antarctica, according to its website, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison is its lead institution.

Halzen’s research into capturing neutrinos at the South Pole dates back to the 1980s.

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced the award in Stockholm.

The prize money this year is about US$1.2 million, whether for an individual, a small group of laureates or an organisation.

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

The announcements of this year's prizes began on 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 on 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. (AP & AFP)



Edited by Edmond Fong