Helmholtz congratulates Francis Halzen on winning the Nobel Prize in Physics

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has honoured astronomer and particle physicist Francis Halzen for his contributions to the IceCube neutrino observatory and the discovery of high-energy neutrinos of astrophysical origin.

Since 2010, IceCube, a large detector in Antarctica, has been providing groundbreaking measurements of the highest-energy cosmic neutrinos. These neutrinos originate from deep space and can provide insights into past cosmic events. Helmholtz participates in the international IceCube collaboration through its two centres, DESY and KIT. Germany is the second-largest partner country after the United States. DESYin particular plays a key role in the construction and further development of the observatory.

IceCube consists of numerous optical sensors embedded within a cubic kilometre of Antarctic ice. Last year, IceCube was upgraded with new optical modules to enable the detection of lower-energy neutrinos. Researchers at KIT and DESY made a significant contribution to this expansion.

IceCube enables researchers to measure high-energy neutrinos within a cubic kilometre of Antarctic ice. Since neutrinos themselves do not emit any signals, their tracks are detected via muons and other secondary particles produced during rare interactions within the ice.

Halzen is a Belgian-American particle physicist and professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He was honoured for recognising that the ice at the South Pole is suitable for tracking neutrinos. He first presented his plans in 1988. His vision and scientific leadership were fundamental to the development of IceCube.

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