Dr. Prof.Kai Wünnemann (he/him)

Head of Science Programme

Kai.Wuennemann@mfn.berlin+49 0 30 889 140 - 8847

Contact Meta Informationen

Department:
Solar System, Impacts and Meteorites

I am part of the management team of the research area FB1 "Dynamics of Nature" and head the Solar System, Impacts and Meteorites department.

I am researching the role of impact processes in the evolutionary history of our solar system Using computer simulations and impact experiments in the laboratory: 

- Collisions of planetesimals and planetary embryos during the main accretion phase of the planets 

- Formation of the moon by collision of the protests with a Mars-sized planetary body 

- Late accretion of planets and its influence on the development of habitable conditions on Earth 

- Mass extinction events caused by asteroid impacts, e.g. Chicxulub impact and the extinction of the dinosaurs. 

- Effects of future impacts on the environment - Planetary defense, deflection of asteroids by a kinetic impactor

I work in the laboratories:
High-Performance Computing Cluster

Project(s)

  • Third-Party Funded Project

    Deflecting dangerous asteroids

    Providing scientific evidence for the possibility of deflecting an asteroid by external bombardment

  • Third-Party Funded Project

    Effects of meteorite impacts

    Developing a database composed of simple estimates and a large number of pre-processed simulations of probable impact scenarios

  • Third-Party Funded Project

    Late Accretion onto Terrestrial Planets

    The project investigates Earth's evolution after the Moon's formation, from magma ocean to habitable planet, using impact research and numerical modelling.

  • Third-Party Funded Project

    MEMIN - Experimental Impact Research

    The MEMIN network investigates impact processes through interdisciplinary lab experiments with light-gas guns and numerical modelling of impact craters.

Publications

Ormö, J., Raducan, S.D., Housen, K.R., Wünnemann, K., Collins, G.S., Rossi, A.P., Melero‐Asensio, I. (2024). Effect of Target Layering in Gravity‐Dominated Cratering in Nature, Experiments, and Numerical Simulations. Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, 129(5), e2023JE008110. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1029/2023JE008110

Lou, X.Z., Zhu, M.H., Ding, M., Manske, L., Luther, R., Wünnemann, K. (2023). Numerical simulations of shock melting in oblique impacts. Lunar and Planetary Institute Contributions, 2806. URL: https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2023/pdf/1427.pdfOpen Access

Gao, Y., Zhu, M.H., Luther, R., Wünnemann, K. (2023). Numerical simulation of impact-induced seismic wave generation and propagation using a coupled approach. Lunar and Planetary Institute Contributions, 2806, 1990. URL: https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2023/pdf/1990.pdfOpen Access

Senel, C.B., Karatekin, Ö., Luther, R., Dai, K., Zhu, M.H., Wünnemann, K., Claeys, P. (2024). DART-scale Hypervelocity Impact Simulations: Insights into the Interior of Near-Earth Asteroid Dimorphos. Lunar and Planetary Institute Contributions, 3036. URL: https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/metsoc2024/pdf/6443.pdfOpen Access

Luther, R., Artemieva, N., Wünnemann, K., Moissl, R., Koschny, D., Radulescu, A., Grozea, I., Marinescu, M., Gherasim, M., Teodorescu, B. (2023). Predicting the Consequences of NEO Impacts on Earth. PDC2023, 2. URL: https://neomapp.eu/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Predicting-the-Consequences-of-NEO-Impacts-on-Earth-Luther-et-al.pdfOpen Access

Senel, C.B., Luther, R., Karatekin, Ö., Dai, K., Luo, X.Z., Collins, G.S., DeCoster, M.E., Davison, T., Tao, Y., Raducan, S.D., Zhu, M.H., Goderis, S., Wünnemann, K., Claeys, P. (2025). Proximal boulders and momentum transfer from DART-scale 3D impact simulations on asteroid Dimorphos. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 545(3), staf2162. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/staf2162Open Access

Jia, W., Luo, X., Ding, M., Zhu, M., Wünnemann, K. (2025). Effect of Megaregolith Porosity Structure on the Gravity Signature of Lunar Craters: Insights From Numerical Simulations. Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, 130(11), e2025JE009284. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1029/2025JE009284

Röhlen, R., Wünnemann, K., Allibert, L., Maas, C., Hansen, U. (2024). Breaking or Entering? The Fate of Asteroid Cores During Impact Into a Magma Ocean.. EPSC Abstracts. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5194/epsc2024-816Open Access

Fesq, L., Raymond, C., Bearden, D., Keane, J., Vincent, J.B., Scully, J., Wünnemann, K., Grott, M., Winter, M., Krupp, N., Luther, R., Ulamec, S., Kleine, T., Bottke, W. (2025). Novel Reutilization of the European Service Module in Service of Planetary Defense. IAA Planetary Defense Conference, 1-3. Open Access

Liu, T., Allibert, L., Luther, R., Wünnemann, K., Zhu, M.H., Davison, T.M. (2023). The synergetic effect of the potential procellarum and the south-pole aitken impact on the formation of the lunar nearside-farside asymmetries. Lunar and Planetary Institute Contributions, 2806, 1-2. URL: https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2023/pdf/1251.pdfOpen Access

Raducan, S.D., Jutzi, M., Cheng, A.F., Zhang, Y., Barnouin, O., Collins, G.S., Daly, R.T., Davison, T.M., Ernst, C.M., Farnham, T.L., Ferrari, F., Hirabayashi, M., Kumamoto, K.M., Michel, P., Murdoch, N., Nakano, R., Pajola, M., Rossi, A., Agrusa, H.F., Barbee, B.W., Syal, M.B., Chabot, N.L., Dotto, E., Fahnestock, E.G., Hasselmann, P.H., Herreros, I., Ivanovski, S., Li, J.Y., Lucchetti, A., Luther, R., Ormö, J., Owen, M., Pravec, P., Rivkin, A.S., Robin, C.Q., Sánchez, P., Tusberti, F., Wünnemann, K., Zinzi, A., Epifani, E.M., Manzoni, C., May, B.H. (2024). Physical properties of asteroid Dimorphos as derived from the DART impact. Nature Astronomy, 8, 445-455. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-024-02200-3Open Access

Plesa, A.C., Rückriemen-Bez, T., Wünnemann, K. (2024). The role of impacts on ice shell dynamics and surface-to-ocean exchange on Europa. EPSC Abstracts. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5194/epsc2024-701Open Access

Örmo, J., Raducan, S.D., Luther, R., Herreros, M.I., Jutzi, M., Wünnemann, K., Collins, G.S. (2023). Impact induced motion of large boulders and their effect on ejecta emplacement on rubble-pile targets.. Lunar and Planetary Institute Contributions, 2806, 1-2. URL: https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2023/pdf/1194.pdfOpen Access

Senel, C.B., Karatekin, Ö., Luther, R., Dai, K., Zhu, M.H., Wünnemann, K., Claeys, P. (2024). Inferring the interior of asteroid Dimorphos from hypervelocity DART-scale impact simulations. EPSC Abstracts. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5194/epsc2024-937Open Access

Sokołowska, A., Thomas, N., Wünnemann, K. (2024). Effects of surface and subsurface water/ice on spatial distributions of impact crater ejecta on Mars. Icarus, 420, 116150. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2024.116150Open Access

DeCoster, M.E., Barnouin, O.S., Cheng, A., Daly, R.T., Dotto, E., Ernst, C.M., Graninger, D.M., Kumamoto, K.M., Lucchetti, A., Luther, R., Marzari, F., Owen, J.M., Pajola, M., Rainey, E.S.G., Rossi, A., Stickle, A.M., Tisberti, F., Wünnemann, K. (2023). Impact Modeling Results of the Deflection Efficiency Resulting from the DART Impact.. Lunar and Planetary Institute Contributions, 2806, 1-2. URL: https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2023/pdf/2032.pdfOpen Access

Reimold, W.U., Artemieva, N., Hecht, L., Kenkmann, T., Langenhorst, F., Wünnemann, K. (2023, April 11). Dieter Stöffler 1939 - 2023 (In Memorian). Geowissenschaftliche Mitteilungen, 1. URL: https://meteoritical.org/news/dieter-stoffler-1939-2023Open Access

Xu, G., Zhu, M., Luo, X., Ding, M., Xu, L., Wünnemann, K. (2025). Potential Source Depth of Pure Plagioclase Exposed at Peak Rings of Impact Basins on the Moon. Journal of Geophysical Research Planets, 130(10). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1029/2025je009323

Stickle, A.M., Kumamoto, K.M., Graninger, D.M., DeCoster, M.E., Caldwell, W.K., Pearl, J.M., Owen, J.M., Barnouin, O., Collins, G.S., Daly, R.T., Herreros, I., Ormö, J., Sunshine, J., Ernst, C.M., Hirabayashi, T., Marchi, S., Parro, L., Agrusa, H., Bruck Syal, M., Chabot, N.L., Cheng, A.F., Davison, T.M., Dotto, E., Fahenstock, E.G., Ferrari, F., Jutzi, M., Lucchetti, A., Luther, R., Mitra, N., Pajola, M., Raducan, S., Ramesh, K., Rivkin, A.S., Rossi, A., Sánchez, P., Schwartz, S.R., Soldini, S., Steckloff, J.K., Tusberti, F., Wünnemann, K., Zhang, Y. (2025). Dimorphos’s Material Properties and Estimates of Crater Size from the DART Impact. The Planetary Science Journal, 6(2), 38. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3847/PSJ/ad944dOpen Access

Ormö, J., Herreros, I., Luther, R., Wünnemann, K., Raducan, S., Jutzi, M. (2025). Impact-Generated Clastic Injections as a Cause for Stratification in Rubble-Pile Asteroids. EPSC Abstracts, 18, EPSC-DPS2025-348. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5194/epsc-dps2025-348Open Access

Manske, L., Ruedas, T., Plesa, A., Baumeister, P., Tosi, N., Artemieva, N., Wünnemann, K. (2025). The Influence of Interior Structure and Thermal State on Impact Melt Generation Upon Large Impacts Onto Terrestrial Planets. Journal of Geophysical Research Planets, 130(7). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1029/2024je008481Open Access

Luther, R., Artemieva, N., Schmalen, A., Wünnemann, K., Koschny, D., Moissl, R. (2025). Small but mighty: Impact hazards from iron Near‐Earth Objects. Meteoritics and Planetary Science, maps.70086. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/maps.70086Open Access

Senel, C.B., Luther, R., Dai, K., Luo, X.Z., Karatekin, Ö., Collins, G., Goderis, S., DeCoster, M., Davison, T., Raducan, S.D., Zhu, M.H., Wünnemann, K., Claeys, P. (2025). Effects of proximal boulders on ejecta and momentum transfer: Comparison of 2D and 3D hypervelocity impact simulations on Asteroid Dimorphos. EPSC Abstracts, 18, EPSC-DPS2025-1783. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5194/epsc-dps2025-1783Open Access

Michel, P., Küppers, M., Fitzsimmons, A., Green, S., Lazzarin, M., Ulamec, S., Abell, P., Sugita, S., Bagatín, A., Carry, B., Charnoz, S., de León, J., Ferrari, F., Hérique, A., Jutzi, M., Karatekin, Ö., Kohout, T., Murdoch, N., Okada, T., Palomba, E., Pravec, P., Raducan, S., Snodgrass, C., Tortora, P., Vincent, J., Wünnemann, K. (2025). The Hera Space Mission in the Context of Small Near-Earth Asteroid Missions in the Past, Present and Future. Space Science Reviews, 221(5), 70. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11214-025-01195-1

Röhlen, R., Wünnemann, K., Allibert, L., Maas, C., Hansen, U. (2025). Impactor core breakup during impact into a magma ocean: A parameter study. Icarus, 431, 116464. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2025.116464Open Access

Allibert, L., Landeau, M., Röhlen, R., Maller, A., Nakajima, M., Wünnemann, K. (2023). Planetary Impacts: Scaling of Crater Depth From Subsonic to Supersonic Conditions. Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, 128(8), e2023JE007823. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1029/2023JE007823Open Access

Dai, K., Luo, X.Z., Zhu, M.H., Collins, G.S., Davison, T., Luther, R., Wünnemann, K. (2024). Impact Momentum Transfer—Insights from Numerical Simulation of Impacts on Large Boulders of Asteroids. The Planetary Science Journal, 5(9), 214. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3847/PSJ/ad72ebOpen Access

Chabot, N.L., Rivkin, A.S., Cheng, A.F., Barnouin, O.S., Fahnestock, E.G., Richardson, D.C., Stickle, A.M., Thomas, C.A., Ernst, C.M., Terik Daly, R., Dotto, E., Zinzi, A., Chesley, S.R., Moskovitz, N.A., Barbee, B.W., Abell, P., Agrusa, H.F., Bannister, M.T., Beccarelli, J., Bekker, D.L., Bruck Syal, M., Buratti, B.J., Busch, M.W., Campo Bagatin, A., Chatelain, J.P., Chocron, S., Collins, G.S., Conversi, L., Davison, T.M., DeCoster, M.E., Prasanna Deshapriya, J.D., Eggl, S., Espiritu, R.C., Farnham, T.L., Ferrais, M., Ferrari, F., Föhring, D., Fuentes-Muñoz, O., Gai, I., Giordano, C., Glenar, D.A., Gomez, E., Graninger, D.M., Green, S.F., Greenstreet, S., Hasselmann, P.H., Herreros, I., Hirabayashi, M., Husárik, M., Ieva, S., Ivanovski, S.L., Jackson, S.L., Jehin, E., Jutzi, M., Karatekin, O., Knight, M.M., Kolokolova, L., Kumamoto, K.M., Küppers, M., La Forgia, F., Lazzarin, M., Li, J.Y., Lister, T.A., Lolachi, R., Lucas, M.P., Lucchetti, A., Luther, R., Makadia, R., Mazzotta Epifani, E., McMahon, J., Merisio, G., Merrill, C.C., Meyer, A.J., Michel, P., Micheli, M., Migliorini, A., Minker, K., Modenini, D., Moreno, F., Murdoch, N., Murphy, B., Naidu, S.P., Nair, H., Nakano, R., Opitom, C., Ormö, J., Michael Owen, J., Pajola, M., Palmer, E.E., Palumbo, P., Panicucci, P., Parro, L.M., Pearl, J.M., Penttilä, A., Perna, D., Petrescu, E., Pravec, P., Raducan, S.D., Ramesh, K.T., Ridden-Harper, R., Rizos, J.L., Rossi, A., Roth, N.X., Rożek, A., Rozitis, B., Ryan, E.V., Ryan, W.H., Sánchez, P., Santana-Ros, T., Scheeres, D.J., Scheirich, P., Berk Senel, C., Snodgrass, C., Soldini, S., Souami, D., Statler, T.S., Street, R., Stubbs, T.J., Sunshine, J.M., Tan, N.J., Tancredi, G., Tinsman, C.L., Tortora, P., Tusberti, F., Walker, J.D., Waller, C.D., Wünnemann, K., Zannoni, M., Zhang, Y. (2024). Achievement of the Planetary Defense Investigations of the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) Mission. The Planetary Science Journal, 5(2), 49. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3847/PSJ/ad16e6Open Access

Luther, R., Ormö, J., Herreros, I., Benavidez, P., Raducan, S.D., Jutzi, M., Baldauf, S., Wünnemann, K. (2024). Impact Experiments and Model Validation in the frame of the Hera mission. EPSC Abstracts, 17. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5194/epsc2024-194Open Access

Lompa, T., Ebbing, J., Wünnemann, K. (2024). Evolution of Impact Basin Gravity Signatures on the Lunar Farside: A Long‐Term Alteration Process. Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, 129(4), e2023JE008177. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1029/2023JE008177Open Access

Raducan, S.D., Jutzi, M., Zhang, Y., Cheng, A.F., Collins, G.S., Davison, T.M., Farnham, T., Ferrari, F., Hirabayashi, M., Li, J.Y., Michel, P., Ormö, J., Barnouin, O., Daly, R.T., Ernst, C.M., Lucchetti, A., Murdoch, N., Pajola, M., Sánchez, P., Dotto, E., Fahnestock, E., Hasselmann, P.H., Herreros, I., Ivanovski, S.L., Luther, R., Nakano, R., Rivkin, A.S., Rossi, A., Soldini, S., Tusberti, F., Wünnemann, K., DART Investigation Team (2023). Low strength of asteroid dimorphos as demonstrated by the dart impact. Lunar and Planetary Institute Contributions, 2806. URL: https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2023/pdf/2033.pdfOpen Access

Luo, X., Zhu, M., Ding, M., Manske, L., Luther, R., Wünnemann, K. (2025). Shock Melting and Melt Deposit Patterns in Oblique Impacts: Insights From Numerical Simulations. Journal of Geophysical Research Planets, 130(9). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1029/2025je009066

Cheng, A.F., Agrusa, H.F., Barbee, B.W., Meyer, A.J., Farnham, T.L., Raducan, S.D., Richardson, D.C., Dotto, E., Zinzi, A., Della Corte, V., Statler, T.S., Chesley, S., Naidu, S.P., Hirabayashi, M., Li, J.Y., Eggl, S., Barnouin, O.S., Chabot, N.L., Chocron, S., Collins, G.S., Daly, R.T., Davison, T.M., DeCoster, M.E., Ernst, C.M., Ferrari, F., Graninger, D.M., Jacobson, S.A., Jutzi, M., Kumamoto, K.M., Luther, R., Lyzhoft, J.R., Michel, P., Murdoch, N., Nakano, R., Palmer, E., Rivkin, A.S., Scheeres, D.J., Stickle, A.M., Sunshine, J.M., Trigo-Rodriguez, J.M., Vincent, J.B., Walker, J.D., Wünnemann, K., Zhang, Y., Amoroso, M., Bertini, I., Brucato, J.R., Capannolo, A., Cremonese, G., Dall’Ora, M., Deshapriya, P.J.D., Gai, I., Hasselmann, P.H., Ieva, S., Impresario, G., Ivanovski, S.L., Lavagna, M., Lucchetti, A., Epifani, E.M., Modenini, D., Pajola, M., Palumbo, P., Perna, D., Pirrotta, S., Poggiali, G., Rossi, A., Tortora, P., Zannoni, M., Zanotti, G. (2023). Momentum transfer from the DART mission kinetic impact on asteroid Dimorphos. Nature, 616(7957), 457-460. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-05878-zOpen Access

Allibert, L., Landeau, M., Röhlen, R., Maller, A., Nakajima, M., Wünnemann, K. (2024). Metal-silicate mixing upon Giant Impacts into magma oceans. EPSC Abstracts. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5194/epsc2024-1126Open Access

Liu, T., Michael, G., Wünnemann, K. (2023). The Timeline of Early Lunar Bombardment Constrained by the Evolving Distributions of Differently Aged Melt. The Planetary Science Journal, 4(7), 133. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3847/PSJ/ace0bbOpen Access

Rice, P., Luther, R., Wünnemann, K. (2024). Modelling Lunar Impact Flashes from Molten Ejecta. EPSC Abstracts. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5194/epsc2024-560Open Access

Langer, N., Luther, R., Wünnemann, K., Koch, F., Linke, S. (2024). From Debris to Resource: Simulating High-Velocity Impacts of Space Debris on the Moon. EPSC Abstracts. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5194/epsc2024-956Open Access