Karol Krop (1937-2022)

Karol Krop (1937-2022)

Renowned Polish physicist, pioneer in nanoparticle research, esteemed academic teacher, and mentor.

After graduating from the Pedagogical University in Katowice, Professor Karol Krop began his career at the Department of Physics, Faculty of Metallurgy at AGH University of Science and Technology in Kraków as a "demonstrator" – preparing physics lecture demonstrations. His academic journey rapidly advanced. In 1960, he became an assistant at the Laboratory of Magnetic Materials, where he focused on magnetic properties investigations. In 1968, he completed his PhD in Physics with a dissertation titled "Volume Distribution Function of Precipitated Particles from Cu-Co Solid Solution and Its Magnetic Properties."

In 1969, Professor Krop went on a research internship at the University of Sheffield in England, where he gained key expertise in Mössbauer spectroscopy, a technique that significantly influenced the trajectory of his scientific work. In 1975, he received his habilitation at the Jagiellonian University with the dissertation "Analysis of Thermal Excitation in a Beta-Co Particle Assembly in Cu-1%Co Alloy." He was awarded the title of Professor of Physical Sciences in 1983.

Professor Krop authored over 110 scientific publications and supervised 13 PhD theses. His research covers a wide range of topics, including pioneering studies on magnetic nanoparticles in Cu-Co alloys, rare earth compounds with transition metals, Laves phases and their hydrides, magnetic thin films using Mössbauer spectroscopy, as well as materials exhibiting colossal magnetoresistance and related oxides.

During his career, he served as the head of the Magnetic Materials Group and later, as the head of the Solid State Physics Department at the Faculty of Metallurgy at AGH University. He also established the second (after the Institute of Physics, Jagiellonian University) Mössbauer laboratory in Poland (1970–1974), and was one of the key initiators in the creation of the SOLARIS National Synchrotron Radiation Centre in Kraków.

Professor Karol Krop was an active member of the international scientific community, representing Poland in the International Board on the Applications of the Mössbauer Effect (IBAME). He collaborated with scientists of numerous prestigious universities and research institutes, including the University of Sheffield, Imperial College London, universities and institutes in Germany, the Technical University of Vienna, the University of Linz and the University of Amsterdam. In the field of Mössbauer spectroscopy he had close scientific contacts and cooperation with professor Ulrich Gonser from the University of Saarlandes in Saarbrücken.

His passion for discoveries and curiosity about the world inspired countless students and researchers to pursue their scientific careers. Professor Karol Krop was not only a distinguished scientist but also a dedicated teacher and mentor, whose work and guidance shaped the development of both Polish and global physics.

Professor Karol Krop will be remembered as a man of immense knowledge, open to collaboration, and always willing to share his expertise with others.

Henryk Figiel, Łukasz Gondek, Jakub Cieślak (AGH University of Kraków)