Francis Halzen
Belgian physicistWikipedia
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Search complete. 162 mentions across 87 episodes found for "Francis Halzen".
Oct 16, 2026
Bob McDonaldHOST
In order to decode these messages, you have to catch one of these teeny-tiny neutrinos.
Bob McDonaldHOST
Not an easy feat by any means, which is why in 1988 Dr. Francis Halzen proposed embedding an array of particle detectors deep into the ice at the South Pole.
Bob McDonaldHOST
It was an ambitious, almost outlandish idea, but the right people got on board to help make it happen.
Bob McDonaldHOST
In 2011, the IceCube Neutrino Observatory powered up and started detecting flashes of light from neutrinos interacting with the ice.
Bob McDonaldHOST
Researchers found the first ever high-energy neutrinos originating from outside our solar system.
Bob McDonaldHOST
IceCube has transformed what we know about cosmic rays, super massive black holes, and even our own Milky Way.
Bob McDonaldHOST
And now Francis Halzen has won the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work.
Bob McDonaldHOST
He's a physicist with the University of Madison, Wisconsin.
Lester NareHOST
With that, now let's get back to the science with the next subject for the recap, which is physics.
Krishna ChoudharyHOST
The Physics prize this year recognized Francis Halzen's contributions to IceCube and the discovery of high-energy neutrinos from astrophysical sources.
Krishna ChoudharyHOST
Now, this instrument, IceCube, is absolutely wild.
Lester NareHOST
Love it.
Krishna ChoudharyHOST
It's in the South Pole on the Antarctic ice sheet.
Krishna ChoudharyHOST
The Antarctic ice sheet is, you know, two kilometers plus of sheer ice, and what they've done is drill down into the ice sheet and create a giant neutrino detector.
Krishna ChoudharyHOST
The only one of its kind in the world, funded primarily by NSF and managed primarily by the University of Wisconsin, where Francis Halzen is on the faculty.
Krishna ChoudharyHOST
Um, the idea is to use the ice as a medium in which these rare particle interactions, the ones that neutrinos in, take part in, become visible.
Francis HalzenGUEST
I badly wanted to win this to recognize the collaboration, especially because, uh, they were essential.
Kate Archer KentHOST
A conversation with theoretical physicist Francis Halzen.
Kate Archer KentHOST
That's next on WPR News.
Kate Archer KentHOST
[upbeat music] It's Wisconsin Today.
Rob FerrettHOST
[gentle music]
Kate Archer KentHOST
A UW-Madison professor for over half a century made history last week, winning the 2026 Nobel Prize in physics.
Rob FerrettHOST
Theoretical physicist Francis Halzen is the principal investigator of the IceCube Neutrino Observatory at the South Pole and the pioneer of the field of neutrino astronomy.
Kate Archer KentHOST
astronomy.The Nobel Committee honored Halzen for his vision and scientific leadership of the telescope that has been at the South Pole for 15 years.
Matilda SercombeHOST
[ding] Fact number three.
Matilda SercombeHOST
The 2026 Nobel Prize for Physics has been won by a physicist from Belgium, Francis Halzen.
Jenny LynchHOST
Francis Halzen came up with the idea that ice in Antarctica could be used to detect particles from outer space.
Jenny LynchHOST
In particular, he dreamt up a way of measuring a mysterious type of particle called a neutrino.
Jenny LynchHOST
To picture the IceCube Neutrino Observatory, you need to imagine a huge cube of Antarctic ice that is one kilometer square and one kilometer deep.
Adam GrantGUEST
But I think people throw around this word vibe, and they say, "It's a vibe," or, "I like her vibe." And what they're overlooking is that a vibe doesn't just sit there.
Adam GrantGUEST
It's not just dormant in a place or a person.
Adam GrantGUEST
It comes alive in our interactions.
Adam GrantGUEST
So when I think about a vibe, I think about a high-quality connection between people, and I think about it happening in ways that neuroscientists can actually measure in the body and the brain.
Adam GrantGUEST
They're called task conflict and relationship conflict.
Adam GrantGUEST
Most people when they think about conflict are thinking about relationship conflict.
Adam GrantGUEST
It's personal, emotional, I wish I didn't have to work with you because I can't stand you, and also, Brian, you, you kinda smell bad.
Brian KeatingHOST
That's true.
Gary ArndtHOST
Our last award is the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics.
Gary ArndtHOST
The recipient is Francis Halzen of the University of Wisconsin.
Gary ArndtHOST
The committee recognized him, quote, "for decisive contributions to the IceCube Neutrino Observatory and for the discovery of high-energy neutrinos of astrophysical origin," end quote.
Gary ArndtHOST
And before I explain why Francis Halzen was awarded the Nobel Prize, I should note how rare it is for a person to win the Nobel Prize in Physics alone.
Gary ArndtHOST
This is the first time that this has happened since 1992.
Gary ArndtHOST
Everything we know about the universe has historically come largely from observing electromagnetic radiation, including visible light, radio waves, and X-rays.
Gary ArndtHOST
However, it also makes them valuable to astronomers.
Gary ArndtHOST
Unlike light, neutrinos can escape from dense environments and travel vast distances without being absorbed or significantly deflected.
speaker_1NARRATOR
extremes of Earth.
speaker_1NARRATOR
When Belgian-American particle physicist Francis Halzen was awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics for decisive contributions to the IceCube neutrino observatory and the discovery of high-energy neutrinos of astrophysical origin, it was a reminder that for more than a century, scientists have treated Antarctica's environments as windows onto worlds beyond Earth.
speaker_1NARRATOR
Antarctica has offered scientists a means of reaching and researching beyond Earth without leaving it.
speaker_1NARRATOR
Various harsh and challenging Antarctic environments have served as testing sites for equipment destined for the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
Sean CarrollHOST
People who are in the country are having difficulty at every level, from getting into grad school to getting funding as a senior person.
Sean CarrollHOST
Um, Francis Halzen, as I'm, as I'm recording this, uh, just won the Nobel Prize in Physics as the leader of the IceCube experiment, which is a neutrino observatory in Antarctica, and the Trump administration just cut its funding in half just before he won the Nobel Prize.
Sean CarrollHOST
That's the situation we're in, and that's gonna be-- that's gonna hurt the country and the world in a way that will be very, very long-lasting.
Sean CarrollHOST
We all depend on Wi-Fi more than ever, especially for things like video calls and streaming, and sometimes it's just not there when you need it.
Phil ClarkHOST
Well, it's Nobel Prize season.
Phil ClarkHOST
Belgian-born physicist Francis Halzen was the winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on IceCube, a massive detector buried deep beneath the ice at the South Pole.
Phil ClarkHOST
Nothing to do with, uh, cocktail, the cocktail bar, but it's des- it's designed to detect some of the hardest to find particles in the universe, giving scientists a new way to investigate the most powerful cosmic events and uncover some of the mysteries of deep space.
Phil ClarkHOST
Well, to help us understand what makes this discovery so significant and bringing us the la- latest from the world of science, we're joined by the one and only Charley Lineweaver, astrophysicist at the ANU's Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics.
Charley LineweaverGUEST
I think.
Charley LineweaverGUEST
Anyway, neutrinos are very, very important.
Charley LineweaverGUEST
There are lots and lots, billions of them passing through your thumb right now, and this guy, Francis Halzen, got the Nobel Prize for saying, "Hey, we need a big, gigantic detector of neutrinos."
Phil ClarkHOST
Mm-hmm.
Jonathan SavageCORRESPONDENT
Um, a Belgian American has won the prize for physics.
Jonathan SavageCORRESPONDENT
Um, Francis Halzen has been looking at subatomic atomic particles in ice, uh, in the hope that these neutrinos, as they're called, could help investigate some of the biggest mysteries of the universe.
Jonathan SavageCORRESPONDENT
Uh, and economics, that prize was handed out today to two American economists, Robert E.
Jonathan SavageCORRESPONDENT
Hall, um, from Stanford University, and Michael Woodford from Columbia University in New York.
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