The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences selected Halzen for research that has opened a new way of studying some of the most energetic phenomena in the universe.
The physics laureate will receive a share of the 12 million Swedish crowns ($1.2 million) Nobel prize, which is divided when there are multiple winners.
The Nobel Prizes were established under the will of Swedish inventor and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel, whose fortune was built partly through his invention of dynamite.
First awarded in 1901, the prizes recognise achievements in science, literature and peace, while the economics award was established later by Sweden’s central bank.
Physics was given a prominent place in Nobel’s will and the prize remains one of the highest distinctions in the field.
Over the decades, it has recognised discoveries that transformed humanity’s understanding of the universe. Previous laureates include Albert Einstein, Marie and Pierre Curie, Max Planck and Niels Bohr, whose work helped lay the foundations of modern physics.
Last year, US-based scientists John Clarke, Michel Devoret and John Martinis won the physics prize for experiments demonstrating quantum mechanical effects in electrical circuits, research that could contribute to advances in computing and other digital technologies.
The physics award is the second Nobel Prize announced this year, following Monday’s medicine prize. The chemistry prize is due to be announced on Wednesday.
Nobel medals will be presented to the laureates by Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf at a ceremony in Stockholm on December 10, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death.
The ceremony will be followed by a formal banquet at Stockholm City Hall.
The Nobel Peace Prize, the only Nobel award presented outside Sweden, is awarded separately in Oslo.
