Henric Krawczynski

Henric Krawczynski is the Chair and Wilfred R. and Ann Lee Konneker Distinguished Professor of Physics at Washington University in St. Louis. He leads the XL-Calibur balloon mission and contributes to NASA's IXPE mission, studying black holes and neutron stars via X-ray polarization. His research integrates experimental astroparticle physics, detector development, and theoretical modeling of relativistic phenomena.

Education:

• PhD in Physics, University of Hamburg (1997)
• MSc in Physics, University of Hamburg

Research Focus:

• Experimental and theoretical studies of black hole accretion and neutron star magnetospheres
• Development of cryogenic microcalorimeters and CZT detectors for future NASA missions
• Testing general relativity and quantum electrodynamics (QED) in extreme astrophysical environments

Recent Projects:

• Principal Investigator for XL-Calibur (2022 flight from Sweden)
• Member of the IXPE science team (launched 2021)
• Co-developer of DR-TEST quantum sensor mission

Honors & Grants:

• NASA mission funding for balloon and detector projects
• 2004 DOE Outstanding Junior Investigator Award
• Over 275 peer-reviewed publications and a co-edited textbook on relativistic jets

Labs & Teams:

• Laboratory for X-ray/gamma-ray detector development (collaborations with NIST, Brookhaven, and international partners)
• Founding member of the Washington University Center for Quantum Leaps