BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - The Nobel Prize in Physics has been awarded to Belgian particle physicist Francis Louis Halzen for discovery of high-energy neutrinos of astrophysical origin and his work creating an observatory to detect them.
A Professor at University of Wisconsin-Madison, the 82-year-old Nobel laureate will receive a prize amount of 12 million Swedish kronor, or $12,03,267.
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said it has decided to award the Nobel Prize to Halzen 'for decisive contributions to the IceCube Neutrino Observatory and the discovery of high-energy neutrinos of astrophysical origin.'
Francis Halzen has laid the foundation for an entirely new type of astronomy. His idea was to use glacial ice at the South Pole to capture the secretive particles called neutrinos. The result was the IceCube Neutrino Observatory, which can track neutrinos that originate in the distant cosmos.
'Francis Halzen realised that ice at the South Pole could be used to track particles known as neutrinos. His vision and scientific leadership have been fundamental for the IceCube Neutrino Observatory - a cubic kilometre of ice that is equipped with light sensors. Using IceCube, researchers can capture neutrinos from extremely energy-rich processes in the distant universe,' the Academy said.
Francis Halzen first presented his vision for capturing neutrinos at the South Pole in 1988. When a neutrino collides with an atomic nucleus, it produces a flash of light that can be tracked by sensors in the clear glacial ice. The South Pole's ice has many advantages, as it is free from various types of interference and the area is geologically stable, with no earthquakes. Halzen and his idea soon gained the support of other researchers and, just a few years later, preliminary testing was conducted on sensors in ice.
Cosmic neutrinos with extremely high energies are very rare, so an enormous volume of ice is needed to observe an adequate number of collisions. IceCube covers an entire cubic kilometre and was finished in 2011. Researchers soon discovered the first high-energy neutrinos and, a few years later, could publish their discovery of neutrinos that must originate far outside the solar system. The search for the universe's neutrino sources could begin in earnest.
The neutrino interactions that are continuously collected by IceCube will provide researchers with novel knowledge about the violent settings in which high-energy neutrinos can be created - and could even reveal previously unknown cosmic phenomena.
'Francis Halzen has led an international team of researchers and engineers who have provided us with a fantastic instrument. His tenacity and scientific vision has paved the way for a new kind of astronomy,' says Mark Pearce, Chair of the Nobel Committee for Physics.
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