DOMINANT ANGLE
Bogotá sees the Nobel Prize in Physics as the story of an instrument: a "giant ice cube" at the South Pole turned into a neutrino telescope, more than the portrait of a laureate or a nation.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
Francis Halzen, 82, born in Tienen (Belgium) and a professor at Wisconsin-Madison, received the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics "for his decisive contributions to the IceCube Neutrino Observatory" (El Colombiano, Portafolio).
- 02
Halzen presented the idea of using South Pole ice in 1988; IceCube, completed in 2011, covers a cubic kilometre of ice equipped with light sensors (Portafolio).
- 03
Questioned by phone during the press conference, the laureate spoke of a "great surprise" and a prize he did not expect (El Colombiano).
ANALYSIS
Bogotá, October 7, 2026. The two Colombian media outlets, El Colombiano and Portafolio, covered the announcement of the Nobel Prize in Physics on Tuesday, October 6, from a scientific explanation angle, with an emphasis on the device rather than the person.
El Colombiano featured Belgian physicist Francis Halzen, 82, who was awarded "for detecting ghostly particles from outside the galaxy." The newspaper reported the formulation of the committee, which met in Stockholm: "decisive contributions to the IceCube Neutrino Observatory and the discovery of high-energy astrophysical neutrinos." It quoted Ellen Moons, Secretary General of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, who said the prize "deals with ghostly messengers from space," and then Professor Eva Olsson, from the Nobel Committee: "This Nobel Prize concerns a giant ice cube located at the South Pole." A subheading, "A giant ice cube," structured the article.
Portafolio delved deeper into the mechanics. Halzen understood that the ice at the South Pole could be used to track neutrinos and presented his idea for the first time in 1988. When a neutrino hits an atomic nucleus, it produces a flash of light that sensors buried in the transparent ice can capture. Since cosmic neutrinos of very high energy are rare, a huge volume of ice is needed. The text detailed the advantages of the site: the absence of several types of interference and geological stability, without earthquakes. IceCube, completed in 2011, occupies a cubic kilometer of ice equipped with light sensors; the first high-energy neutrinos were identified shortly after, and their origin was found to be far beyond the solar system.
Both articles briefly mentioned the laureate's background: born in Tirlemont, Belgium, and a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the United States. El Colombiano reported his reaction by phone during the press conference: "It was a big surprise, and obviously, I didn't expect it," before adding that it's "a great pleasure" to know the prize was obtained. He also recalled the 2025 Nobel Prize, awarded to Briton John Clarke, Frenchman Michel Devoret, and American John Martinis.
The narrative remained one of popularization: the image of the "ice cube" and "ghostly particles" served as an introduction to a non-specialist audience, without debate about the nationality of the prize or the funding of the observatory.
