I’m a physicist who worked on the Nobel-winning neutrino search – here’s how a cubic kilometer of Antarctic ice became a telescope for ghost particles from space

The 2026 Nobel Prize in physics recognizes Francis Halzen’s vision in building an unusual telescope in Antarctica, as well as the neutrino discoveries it’s made.

By: Tyce DeYoung, Michigan State University, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: October 6, 2026

Words: 1,576

Last Updated: 1 week, 4 days ago

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By Tyce DeYoung, Michigan State University

Standing at the South Pole is the next-best thing to being on another planet. If you walk a few hundred yards away from the National Science Foundation’s research station, you see a featureless plain of snow and ice, most likely empty of living creatures larger than microbes for hundreds of miles.

With nothing but snow for sound waves to echo off, there’s an eerie silence. It’s easy to get …

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