'Ghost particles' from space telescope wins 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics - BBC News                            (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cq203mymlvkeo)  (https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cq203mymlvkeo)  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cq203mymlvkeo)  (https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cq203mymlvkeo)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/touch/news/touch-icon-36.413a37b227.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/touch/news/touch-icon-48.010dc96bcf.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/touch/news/touch-icon-57.1fcd0dc805.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/touch/news/touch-icon-60.52f68a148f.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/touch/news/touch-icon-72.f155fdb25f.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/touch/news/touch-icon-76.cb5ee392d4.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/touch/news/touch-icon-96.35ee2d1e20.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/touch/news/touch-icon-114.7ccdf53cba.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/touch/news/touch-icon-120.73e20442a9.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/touch/news/touch-icon-128.060d346f09.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/touch/news/touch-icon-144.e08bc23631.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/touch/news/touch-icon-152.4de1981be0.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/touch/news/touch-icon-180.1a18cb7b72.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/touch/news/touch-icon-192.3ac042fa43.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/touch/news/touch-icon-384.728e3a03d3.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/touch/news/touch-icon-512.685da29e9e.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/favicon/news/favicon-16.8a240ceacc.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/favicon/news/favicon-32.5cf4e6db02.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/manifest.11b0cb15658c4719a2c19e25644577223adaa7b2.json)   (https://www.bbc.com)   BBC Homepage    (cq203mymlvkeo@at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss.html#main-heading) Skip to content  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/accessibility/) Accessibility Help          (https://account.bbc.com/account?lang=en-GB&ptrt=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bbc.co.uk%2Fnews%2Farticles%2Fcq203mymlvkeo)    Your account       (https://www.bbc.com) Home  (https://www.bbc.com/news) News  (https://www.bbc.com/sport) Sport  (https://www.bbc.com/future/earth) Earth  (https://www.bbc.com/reel) Reel  (https://www.bbc.com/worklife) Worklife  (https://www.bbc.com/travel) Travel  (https://www.bbc.com/culture) Culture  (https://www.bbc.com/future) Future  (https://www.bbc.com/culture/music) Music  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/schedules/p00fzl9m) TV  (https://www.bbc.com/weather) Weather  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds) Sounds   (cq203mymlvkeo@at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss.html#global-navigation-more-menu)    More menu     (cq203mymlvkeo@at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss.html#global-navigation-more-menu)   More menu    (https://www.bbc.com/search?d=NEWS_GNL)    Search BBC      (https://www.bbc.com) Home  (https://www.bbc.com/news) News  (https://www.bbc.com/sport) Sport  (https://www.bbc.com/future/earth) Earth  (https://www.bbc.com/reel) Reel  (https://www.bbc.com/worklife) Worklife  (https://www.bbc.com/travel) Travel  (https://www.bbc.com/culture) Culture  (https://www.bbc.com/future) Future  (https://www.bbc.com/culture/music) Music  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/schedules/p00fzl9m) TV  (https://www.bbc.com/weather) Weather  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds) Sounds   (cq203mymlvkeo@at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss.html#more-menu-button)   Close menu          (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news)   BBC News      (cq203mymlvkeo@at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss.html#product-navigation-menu)    Menu  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news) Home   (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/topics/cmj34zmwm1zt) Climate   (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world) World   (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world/us_and_canada) US & Canada   (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk) UK   (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business) Business   (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology) Tech   (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science_and_environment) Science   (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment_and_arts) Entertainment & Arts   (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health) Health     (cq203mymlvkeo@at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss.html#product-navigation-more-menu)    More     (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in_pictures) In Pictures   (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/bbcverify) BBC Verify   (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat) Newsbeat         (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science_and_environment) Science           'Ghost particles' from space telescope wins physics Nobel      (A starry sky the Milky Way is seen through the middle, and the Northern Lights in green along the horizon. In the foreground is an observatory with a black building and stairs liking to a white column.)    Image source,  Yuya Makino/IceCube/NSF  Image caption,  Prof Francis Halzen won for "decisive contribution" to developing the IceCube Neutrino Observatory       By Pallab Ghosh Science correspondent      Published 6 October 2026, 11:10 BST        Updated 12:24 BST       Belgian-born physicist Prof Francis Halzen has won the Nobel Prize in Physics for his pioneering work on an observatory that detects particles from space, shedding light on the distant universe.  Halzen led the development of IceCube at the South Pole, which uses a cubic kilometre of Antarctic ice fitted with light sensors to detect particles called neutrinos. These carry information about violent, high-energy processes in the cosmos. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said "his vision and scientific leadership have been fundamental for the IceCube Neutrino Observatory". He first presented his vision for detecting neutrinos at the South Pole in 1988. Halzen, who is now a US citizen at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, told a news conference that he was surprised his idea worked so well. "I have to emphasise how lucky I was. Because when we started this project, everybody realised this was maybe a good idea, but very few thought it would work, including myself."     (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cjwvgevjjl6o) Scientists in a race to discover why our Universe exists       Published 20 May 2025         (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-66049330) Galaxy's ghost particles captured in Antarctic ice       Published 30 June 2023             Neutrinos are elusive subatomic particles. The Sun produces vast numbers of them: every second, billions pass harmlessly through an area the size of your fingernail. But IceCube is searching for much higher-energy neutrinos, those produced by violent processes far beyond our Solar System — in distant galaxies.  It is composed of thousands of sensors on long cables that are drilled and frozen into a 1km cubic block of ice. Neutrinos can be thought of as astronomical messengers that point to those fundamental events. At the observatory, most neutrinos pass straight through the ice, but occasionally one interacts with it, producing particles that give off a telltale flash of light. These rare signals carry clues to where the neutrinos came from and the extreme conditions that produced them — allowing scientists to investigate places that ordinary telescopes cannot easily see.       (Diagram showing how the IceCube observatory detects neutrinos. Cables containing rows of light sensors extend deep into a large block of ice beneath a surface building. Red diagonal arrows show neutrinos passing through the ice, with one collision highlighted. Most neutrinos pass straight through, but sensors can detect light from rare collisions with atomic nuclei; the angle and direction of these events can help trace a neutrino’s origin in the cosmos.)         "Francis Halzen has led an international team of researchers and engineers who have provided us with a fantastic instrument," said Prof Mark Pearce, Chair of the Nobel Committee for Physics. "His tenacity and scientific vision has paved the way for a new kind of astronomy."       (A starry black sky with the Milky Way in blue running through the centre)    Image source,  IceCube/NSF  Image caption,  This blurry image is of the Milky Way, but it is composed of neutrino particles       On the rare occasions when a neutrino strikes an atomic nucleus, it produces fast-moving charged particles. It is these racing through the ice, which give off a blue glow, which sensitive light detectors can pick up. The pattern and timing of that light allow scientists to estimate the direction the neutrino came from — helping them trace its origins in the cosmos. But these interactions are so rare that the observatory needed an enormous volume of clear ice. Halzen's idea was to use a vast natural ice sheet in Antarctica. So began an audacious plan to build a neutrino observatory at the geographic South Pole, with thousands of light sensors embedded deep in the ice. The neutrino's ghostly nature, the very thing that makes it so hard to detect, also makes it a powerful messenger from the distant Universe.  Neutrinos rarely interact with material in its way, so they can go right through dense regions that light cannot easily penetrate.  And because they have no electric charge, magnetic fields do not bend their paths through space. That means their direction of arrival can point scientists back towards their source. Their energies carry further insight into the processes that created them - helping scientists investigate how exploding stars and the environments around giant black holes accelerate particles to extraordinary energies.  Louis Barson, director of science at the Institute of Physics in London, said the IceCube Observatory had enabled astronomers to investigate phenomena that conventional telescopes cannot see. "The discoveries that have followed are helping us understand some of the most energetic and mysterious processes in the universe - and that's thanks to Professor Halzen's work," he added. Prof Subir Sarkar, physicist from the University of Oxford, quoted the French novelist Marcel Proust in describing his assessment of Halzen's contribution to science: "'The only true voyage of discovery, the only fountain of Eternal Youth, would be not to visit strange lands but to possess other eyes, to behold the universe through the eyes of another, of a hundred others, to behold the hundred universes that each of them beholds, that each of them is'. "Francis Halzen has led the IceCube collaboration on just such a voyage of discovery and opened a new window on to our Universe".     Related topics  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/topics/cd0d8z6zxv8t) Nobel Prize  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/topics/c302m85q157t) Physics  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science_and_environment) Science & Environment           (vertical video collection) The video playlist   Watch our pick of standout clips from across the BBC      Previous     Next         0:47 Kemi Badenoch wants Reform voters to 'come back' 00:00:47, play video Kemi Badenoch wants Reform voters to 'come back'    (Kemi Badenoch in a white suit)           0:51 Should you be worried about the Asos hack? 00:00:51, play video Should you be worried about the Asos hack?    (Smartphone screenshot of the notification hackers sent to customers.)           1:22 What Russia says about death of plague lab researcher. 00:01:22, play video What Russia says about death of plague lab researcher    (A satellite image of a Russian plague research lab.)           0:59 Why are students protesting in France? 00:00:59, play video Why are students protesting in France?    (Students bang against shields held by riot police.)           0:49 Young Tories on if their party should do a deal with Reform UK. 00:00:49, play video Young Tories on if their party should do a deal with Reform UK    (A young man talking to the camera at the Tory Party Conference. He has short dark hair and a moustache. He is wearing a dark blue jacket, white shirt and  a taupe tie.)           2:24 'I thought I was a monster' 00:02:24, play video 'I thought I was a monster'    (A young woman holds a glass of prosecco and is wearing a graduation gown. She is in her 20s and is smiling at the camera.)           1:09 Ex-American Idol contestant jailed for wife's murder. 00:01:09, play video Ex-American Idol contestant jailed for wife's murder    (Caleb Flynn has short grey hair. He is wearing a white T-shirt and orange prison overalls.)           0:51 'I found out I had cancer when son kicked my testicles' 00:00:51, play video 'I found out I had cancer when son kicked my testicles'    (Ben Lidgey in black sunglasses)           0:27 Why is it called 'El Niño'? 00:00:27, play video Why is it called 'El Niño'?    (Boats on water under an orange sky)           0:43 Staff find copy of Bayeux Tapestry in school attic. 00:00:43, play video Staff find copy of Bayeux Tapestry in school attic    (School teachers and students stand in a line holding out copy of Bayeux Tapestry)           1:30 Teenager shows BBC life inside Gaza displacement camp. 00:01:30, play video Teenager shows BBC life inside Gaza displacement camp    (Two young girls sat on a step. One (left) is dressed in all black, the other (right) is dressed in light brown.)           0:36 Jeremy Clarkson: Farming this year was 'an absolute disaster' 00:00:36, play video Jeremy Clarkson: Farming this year was 'an absolute disaster'    (Jeremy Clarkson wearing blue suit, white shirt and blue tie)           0:25 How to get into Glasto if you missed out on tickets. 00:00:25, play video How to get into Glasto if you missed out on tickets    (Glastonbury Pyramid stage with a large crowd and flags.)           1:18 Five-year-old rescued from well after days trapped. 00:01:18, play video Five-year-old rescued from well after days trapped    (A number of men crouch over a well with a line and torch looking down.)           1:12 Brazil election goes to run-off as Bolsonaro wins first round. 00:01:12, play video Brazil election goes to run-off as Bolsonaro wins first round    (Flávio Bolsonaro has short dark hair and is wearing a bright yellow, short-sleeved shirt.)           1:09 Why are so many children starting school in nappies? 00:01:09, play video Why are so many children starting school in nappies?    (A potty is in the centre of a child's playroom. It is surrounded by toys on a shelf and a pram.)               Top stories (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cmp3gnd1e4gyo) Three arrested after raid on gang accused of helping migrants pretend to be gay to get asylum     Published 2 hours ago            (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/crgj97n2x1j4o) Watch: Police raid on gang behind fake gay asylum claims      Published 3 hours ago            (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8kgezxn54qko) US death row inmate Christa Pike awake and speaking after failed execution, lawyers say     Published 13 minutes ago                More to explore (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cxdd8035jzn3o) What is pneumonic plague and how does it spread?      (This colourised microscopic image shows Yersinia pestis, the bacterium that causes plague. The rod-shaped bacteria appear in pale green and cluster across the surface of red tissue cells. The image highlights how the microbes gather and multiply on host tissue, illustrating the infectious organism responsible for pneumonic and bubonic plague.)         (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cme3r9eq2w0lo) We're saving £100 a month for our kids but they won't get it until they're 57      (Richard and Caitlin Brain and their two children)         (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5gmr3dl2lp4o) I had to crawl on my hands and knees to get off train, says disabled woman      (Phoebe Tesoriere is smiling at the camera and wearing a grey fleece jacket. She has long blonde hair. She is in a wheelchair.)         (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cjr4yxv6xzqeo) Bikers gather at care home to grant resident's wish      (A man with white hair and moustache sits on a vintage-style scooter in the foreground, surrounded by dozens of people and rows of motorcycles at an outdoor gathering. Several scooters and motorbikes, including red, silver and blue models, are parked closely together, with a crowd standing behind them in a car park on a bright day.)         (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cr78p97072jeo) Prince William joins Ross Kemp to prepare for emergencies      (Ross Kemp and Prince William laugh as they sit at a table inside a room full of people.)         (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cmkg8g2kxkr0o) Peanut allergy scare inspired life-saving idea      (A man is sat with his arms outstretched, with some medical kits on display in front of him.)         (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/crp3g5n5pd1go) 'I'm glad my miracle stroke treatment is now available 24/7'       (A blonde woman with her hair tied back. She wears a denim jacket)         (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwn73mzly7v4o) Rosie O'Donnell and Julie Hesmondhalgh to appear in play about Gisele Pelicot case      (Composite image showing Adjoa Andoh, Rosie O'Donnell, Tamzin Outhwaite and Julie Hesmondhalgh)         (https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsletters/zgmn46f) US Politics Unspun: Cut through the noise with Anthony Zurcher's newsletter      (A cut of of Anthony Zurcher wearing a suit and tie in front of a red, black, grey and blue graphic background featuring the US Capitol Building)             Elsewhere on the BBC (https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m002stm7?at_mid=AGN4uoj05A&at_campaign=The_Reluctant_Vampire&at_medium=display_ad&at_campaign_type=owned&at_nation=NET&at_audience_id=SS&at_product=iplayer&at_brand=m002stm3&at_ptr_name=bbc&at_ptr_type=media&at_format=image&at_objective=consumption&at_link_title=The_Reluctant_Vampire&at_bbc_team=BBC) Bite into Lenny Rush's much-anticipated supernatural comedy        (The Reluctant Vampire)        (https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0032f30?at_mid=jo8RwUp6NN&at_campaign=Eras_Spice_Girls&at_medium=display_ad&at_campaign_type=owned&at_nation=NET&at_audience_id=SS&at_product=sounds&at_brand=p0g7xpwt&at_ptr_name=bbc&at_ptr_type=media&at_format=image&at_objective=consumption&at_link_title=Eras_Spice_Girls&at_bbc_team=BBC) Five girls. One era-defining phenomenon. Meet the Spice Girls        (Eras: Spice Girls)        (https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m0032cxk?at_mid=kmejv8dHm5&at_campaign=Here_For_The_History_Why_Dont_We_Wear_Hats&at_medium=display_ad&at_campaign_type=owned&at_nation=NET&at_audience_id=SS&at_product=iplayer&at_brand=m002z05r&at_ptr_name=bbc&at_ptr_type=media&at_format=image&at_objective=consumption&at_link_title=Here_For_The_History_Why_Dont_We_Wear_Hats&at_bbc_team=BBC) Why don't we wear hats anymore?        (Here For The History: Why don't we wear hats anymore?)        (https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m00332xg?at_mid=7Y3TjE5xKF&at_campaign=Please_Dont_Will_The_Real_Wayne_and_Coleen_Please_Stand_Up&at_medium=display_ad&at_campaign_type=owned&at_nation=NET&at_audience_id=SS&at_product=sounds&at_brand=p0p9vbyh&at_ptr_name=bbc&at_ptr_type=media&at_format=image&at_objective=consumption&at_link_title=Please_Dont_Will_The_Real_Wayne_and_Coleen_Please_Stand_Up&at_bbc_team=BBC) The new pop culture podcast hosted by two kings of the hot take        (Please Don't)            Most read 1 (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8kgezxn54qko) US death row inmate Christa Pike awake and speaking after failed execution, lawyers say       2 (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c64g1p3ry51do) Man charged with GP's murder       3 (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cmp3gnd1e4gyo) Three arrested after raid on gang accused of helping migrants pretend to be gay to get asylum       4 (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwe8ry2dn6z7o) PCs who used Taser and baton on amputee, 92, sacked       5 (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cm62ep294qxlo) From films to streaming prices - how the Warner Bros deal could affect you       6 (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cxdd8035jzn3o) What is pneumonic plague and how does it spread?       7 (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cqlye0xd72wdo) British national arrested in connection with RAF Fairford incident       8 (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8x23706pvz3o) Tear gas in Paris and Marseille as school protests grow across France       9 (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj62ylzpr6d3o) Asos confirms hackers sent 'unauthorised' notification to app users       10 (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c9x28ljj34lxo) I'd rather have another election than do a deal with Reform UK, says Badenoch               BBC News Services  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10628994)    On your mobile  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/help-50068132)    On smart speakers  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10628323)    Get news alerts  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/20039682)    Contact BBC News     (https://www.bbc.com) Home  (https://www.bbc.com/news) News  (https://www.bbc.com/sport) Sport  (https://www.bbc.com/future/earth) Earth  (https://www.bbc.com/reel) Reel  (https://www.bbc.com/worklife) Worklife  (https://www.bbc.com/travel) Travel  (https://www.bbc.com/culture) Culture  (https://www.bbc.com/future) Future  (https://www.bbc.com/culture/music) Music  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/schedules/p00fzl9m) TV  (https://www.bbc.com/weather) Weather  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds) Sounds   (https://www.bbc.co.uk/usingthebbc/terms) Terms of Use  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/aboutthebbc) About the BBC  (https://www.bbc.com/usingthebbc/privacy) Privacy Policy  (https://www.bbc.com/usingthebbc/cookies) Cookies  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/accessibility) Accessibility Help  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/guidance) Parental Guidance  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/contact) Contact the BBC  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/careers) Careers  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcnewsletter) BBC emails for you  (https://www.bbc.com/advertisingcontact/) Advertise with us    Copyright © 2026 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. (https://www.bbc.co.uk/editorialguidelines/guidance/links-and-feeds) Read about our approach to external linking.         ()