India, Oct. 6 -- Belgian-American particle physicist Francis Halzen has won the Nobel Prize in Physics for his "decisive contributions to the IceCube Neutrino Observatory and the discovery of high-energy neutrinos of astrophysical origin", the award-giving body said.

According to the award-giving body, Halzen realised that the ice at the South Pole could be used to detect and track particles known as neutrinos.

His vision and scientific leadership were fundamental to the development of the IceCube Neutrino Observatory - a cubic-kilometre detector embedded in the Antarctic ice and equipped with thousands of light sensors. Using IceCube, researchers can detect neutrinos produced by extremely energetic processes in the distant universe.

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