A decades-long quest at the South Pole just won Francis Halzen the Nobel Prize in physics. His work capturing high-energy neutrinos is paving the way for a completely “new kind of astronomy.”

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

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“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,” Mark Pearce, chair of the Nobel Committee for Physics, said in a news release.

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Born in Belgium, the 82-year-old scientist is affiliated with the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the U.S. Efforts by The Associated Press to reach Halzen were not immediately successful.

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

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

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The prize money this year is 12 million Swedish kronor (about $1.2 million), whether for an individual, a small group of laureates or an organization.

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

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The announcements of this…

Original source: https://www.nbcnews.com/business

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