10/20/2026
We’re still buzzing from the announcement about Francis Halzen’s 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics for work on IceCube! Curious about what makes IceCube so cool? This photo shows (from left to right) Berkeley Lab’s Azriel Goldschmidt, Bob Stokstad, and Spencer Klein next to a Digital Optical Module (DOM) sensor for IceCube. 5,160 of these sensors were buried deep in the Antarctic ice, each one containing a large photomultiplier for detecting single photons and custom electronics that were envisioned, designed, built, and tested by scientists and engineers at Berkeley Lab.
“The main technical contribution was the notion and extremely successful implementation of distributed electronics,” explains Goldschmidt, a physicist in Berkeley Lab’s Engineering Division. “Each module can capture the arrival information of photon trains with nanosecond precision by digitizing the photomultiplier's extended pulse.”
Lodged deep in the ice, each sensor has to be inured to the harsh environment and incredibly reliable. Once inserted, there is no opportunity to retrieve them and perform repairs.
Congratulations to Francis Halzen for receiving the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics. And congratulations to the enormous team at Berkeley Lab who contributed to this incredible project, including David Nygren, Bob Stokstad, Azriel Goldschmidt, Spencer Klein, Thorsten Stezelberger, and many, many others who dedicated their wisdom and expertise to this work. This is what team science is all about!
