Soviet trace in work of 2026 Nobel Prize winner in physics revealed

The idea of ​​an underice neutrino telescope, for which Francis Halzen received the Nobel Prize in Physics, was put forward by Soviet scientist Moses Markov back in 1960, said Zhan-Arys Dzhilkibaev, chief researcher at the Institute of Nuclear Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences. However, in a conversation with Lenta.ru, he noted that the prize was given not for the idea, but for its implementation more than 40 years later.

“The method for detecting cosmic neutrinos in large volumes of transparent water or ice was proposed by Markov in 1960. Neutrinos interact very weakly, so a large target mass is needed. It’s difficult to dig it underground, but in the natural environment you can use transparent ice or water, where charged particles leave Cherenkov radiation,” the scientist explained.

According to him, at first they tried to create an installation with a volume of about a cubic kilometer in the ocean, but the project turned out to be too complicated and was closed. Then Halzen proposed registering neutrinos in the ice of Antarctica, where the thickness of the shield reaches four kilometers. His idea was supported, and after creating a prototype and the IceCube detector, neutrinos were detected. This, the physicist noted, took about 45 years.

Dzhilkibaev noted that the Soviet branch developed in parallel: after access to the American project was closed, academician Evgeny Chudakov proposed deploying the detector on Lake Baikal, and since 1980, Grigory Domogatsky has headed the work. Now, the physicist explained, a detector with a volume of about a cubic kilometer is operating on Baikal.

“Two people were supposed to receive the prize: Halzen and Domogatsky. But Domogatsky is no longer with us. However, Halzen deservedly received the award,” the scientist said.

Dzhilkibaev explained that neutrino astronomy is a new window into the Universe. Neutrinos even come from hidden sources where light does not reach. Three installations are currently operating: IceCube, the Baikal detector and a detector under construction in the Mediterranean Sea.

“This is a completely new step in the development of science, a new direction - neutrino astronomy and astrophysics,” he concluded.