In-House Project
The Ribbeck meteorite fall
As a fresh fall of a very rare meteorite class, Ribbeck became a target of intensive scientific studies
Prof. Dr. Lutz Hecht
Scientist / (Senior) Scientist
Project(s)
- In-House Project
Formation of carbonaceous cosmic dust revealed by samples returned from asteroid Ryugu
A link between carbonaceous cosmic dust and carbonaceous asteroids
- Third-Party Funded Project
MEMIN Sub-Project: Projectile-target interaction, melting and vaporization in hypervelocity experiments and natural impactites
The subproject investigates the chemical-physical interaction between projectile and target during impact events, focusing on carbonates and impact melts.
Vita
since 10/2019 Apr. Professor of Impact Petrology at the Free University of Berlin 12/2001 to 10/2019 Private lecturer at the Free University of Berlin Since 10/2001 Senior Academic Councilor at the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin 05 to 11/2001 private lecturer at the Technical University of Munich January 2001 Habilitation at the Faculty of Chemistry at the Technical University of Munich in the subjects of petrology and geochemistry 10/1997 to 11/1999 DFG-financed research stay at CREGU-UMR 7566 G2R in Nancy 04/1995 to 04/1997 Basic university didactic training at the Technical University of Munich (PROLEHRE) 05/1993 to 08/2001 Scientific assistant at the Institute for Geology and Mineralogy at the Technical University of Munich 1993 doctorate as Dr. rer. nat. at the TU Munich 08/1990 to 07/1992 doctoral scholarship holder at the Technical University of Munich 03/1988 to 07/1990 Scientific. Employee at the Technical University of Munich 1982 to 1988 studied geology at the TU Berlin and the TU Munich
Further information
Research in the field of petrology and geochemistry of impact crater rocks and meteorites Laboratory manager in the area of geochemical and microanalytical laboratories Geo.X coordinator of the MfN (http://www.geo-x.net/) MfN radiation protection representative Teaching at the Free University of Berlin
Publications
McKibbin, S., Hecht, L., Huber, M., Makarona, C., Chernonozhkin, S., Claeys, P., Goderis, S. (2025). Chromite in main group pallasite meteorites: Accessory mineral tracing planetesimal differentiation. Meteoritics and Planetary Science. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/maps.70064
Sergienko, E.S., Janson, S.J., Esau, A., Hamann, C., Kaufmann, F., Hecht, L., Karpinsky, V.V., Petrova, E.V., Kharitonskii, P.V. (2023). Mineral Inclusions in Irghizites and Microirghizites (Zhamanshin Astroblem, Kazakhstan). In Marin, Y. (Hrsg.), XIII General Meeting of the Russian Mineralogical Society and the Fedorov Session (165-177). Springer International Publishing. Cham. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-23390-6_22
Reimold, W.U., Artemieva, N., Hecht, L., Kenkmann, T., Langenhorst, F., Metzler, K., Wünnemann, K. (2023). [In Memoriam]: Dieter Stoeffler (1939–2023): Outstanding scientist, mentor, and friend. Meteoritics & Planetary Science, 58(7), 1056-1064. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/maps.14025
Miedtank, A., Airo, A., Hecht, L., Fenski, C., Feige, J. (2025). Micrometeorite Diversity in a Time-Resolved Sedimentary Record from the Atacama Desert – A Key to Understanding Solar System Events. Goldschmidt2025 abstracts, 1. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7185/gold2025.32037
Moormann, A., Hecht, L., Tilove, A., Miedtank, A., Dieter, D. (2025). [Poster:] Von Weltraum ins Klassenzimmer: das Wissenschaftsverständnis von Schüler:innen in einem Citizen Science-Projekt zu Mikrometeoriten. [Poster].
Krämer Ruggiu, L., Villeneuve, J., Da Silva, A.C., Debaille, V., Decrée, S., Hecht, L., Kaufmann, F.E.D., Goderis, S. (2025). Diversity among fossil micrometeorites in the late Devonian. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 405, 114-131. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2025.07.016
Hamann, C., Greshake, A., Hecht, L., Jenniskens, P., Kaufmann, F., Luther, R., Van Den Neucker, A., Helbert, J., Spurný, P., Borovička, J., Gattacceca, J., Anand, A., Kleine, T., Braukmüller, N., Becker, H., Schmitt-Kopplin, P., Krietsch, D., Schuppisser, A., Busemann, H., Goderis, S. (2024). Petrography and geochemistry of the Ribbeck aubrite recovered from asteroid 2024 BX1, the closest analog to Mercury?. EPSC Abstracts. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5194/epsc2024-979
Van Den Neucker, A., Helbert, J., Barraud, O., d'Amore, M., Verma, N., Adeli, S., Alemanno, G., Maturilli, A., Hamann, C., Hecht, L., Greshake, A., Kaufman, F., Luther, R., Jenniskens, P., Hiesinger, H. (2024). The Spectral Characterization of the Ribbeck Aubrite as Mercury Analog: The Effect of Heating in Preparation for MERTIS FlyBy 5.. EPSC Abstracts. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5194/epsc2024-733
Van Maldeghem, F., Van Ginneken, M., Soens, B., Kaufmann, F., Lampe, S., Krämer Ruggiu, L., Hecht, L., Claeys, P., Goderis, S. (2023). Geochemical characterization of scoriaceous and unmelted micrometeorites from the Sør Rondane Mountains, East Antarctica: Links to chondritic parent bodies and the effects of alteration. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 354, 88-108. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2023.06.002
McKibbin, S.J., Hecht, L., Makarona, C., Huber, M., Terryn, H., Claeys, P. (2024). Forsteritic olivine in EH (enstatite) chondrite meteorites: A record of nebular, metamorphic, and crystal‐lattice diffusion effects. Meteoritics & Planetary Science, 59(6), 1277-1296. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/maps.14147
Feige, J., Airo, A., Berger, D., Brückner, D., Gärtner, A., Genge, M., Leya, I., Habibi Marekani, F., Hecht, L., Klingner, N., Lachner, J., Li, X., Merchel, S., Nissen, J., Patzer, A.B.C., Peterson, S., Schropp, A., Sager, C., Suttle, M.D., Trappitsch, R., Weinhold, J. (2024). Transport of dust across the Solar System: Constraints on the spatial origin of individual micrometeorites from cosmic-ray exposure. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, 382(2273), 20230197. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2023.0197
Hoffmann, J., Quaisser, C., Hoffmann, A., Blessing, A., Freyhof, J., Fröbisch, J., Fröbisch, N., Frommolt, K.H., Giere, P., Greshake, A., Hecht, L., Heumann, I., Knörnschild, M., Mayer, F., Meier, R., Nadim, T., von Rintelen, T., Rödel, M.O., Schmitt, R.T., Sommerwerk, N. (2023). Forschungscluster für Sammlungserschließung am Museum für Naturkunde Berlin. Museum für Naturkunde Berlin - Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7479/7df5-b402
Krämer Ruggiu, L., Villeneuve, J., Da Silva, A.C., Debaille, V., Decrée, S., Hecht, L., Kaufmann, F., Goderis, S. (2025). Tracing variations in the Flux of Extraterrestrial Material in the late Devonian.. Goldschmidt2025 abstracts. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7185/gold2025.28113
Feige, J., Airo, A., Berger, D., Brückner, D., Gärtner, A., Genge, M., Leya, I., Hecht, L., Klingner, N., Lachner, J., Li, X., Merchel, S., Nissen, J., Patzer, A.B.C., Peterson, S., Schropp, A., Sager, C., Suttle, M.D., Trappitsch, R., Weinhold, J. (2024). Constraints on the Spatial Origins of Individual Micrometeorites: Evidence from Cosmogenic Radionuclides 26Al and 10Be. Lunar and Planetary Institute Contributions, 3036. URL: https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/metsoc2024/pdf/6399.pdf
Luther, R., Hamann, C., Greshake, A., Hecht, L., Jennisken, P., Kaufmann, F., Van den Neucker, A., Helbert, J., Spurny, P., Borovicka, J., Gattacceca, J., Anand, A., Kleine, T., Braukmüller, N., Becker, H., Schmitt-Kopplin, P., Krietsch, D., Schuppisser, A., Busemann, H., Goderis, S. (2024). Initial Analysis of the Ribbeck Aubrite Recovered from Asteroid 2024 BX1. Lunar and Planetary Institute Contributions, 3036. URL: https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/metsoc2024/pdf/6418.pdf
Genge, M.J., Alesbrook, L., Almeida, N.V., Bates, H.C., Bland, P.A., Boyd, M.R., Burchell, M.J., Collins, G.S., Cornwell, L.T., Daly, L., Devillepoix, H.A.R., Van Ginneken, M., Greshake, A., Hallatt, D., Hamann, C., Hecht, L., Jenkins, L.E., Johnson, D., Jones, R., King, A.J., Mansour, H., McMullan, S., Mitchell, J.T., Rollinson, G., Russell, S.S., Schröder, C., Stephen, N.R., Suttle, M.D., Tandy, J.D., Trimby, P., Sansom, E.K., Spathis, V., Willcocks, F.M., Wozniakiewicz, P.J. (2023). The fusion crust of the Winchcombe meteorite: A preserved record of atmospheric entry processes. Meteoritics & Planetary Science, 59(5), 948-972. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/maps.13937
Michalik, T., Otto, K.A., Maturilli, A., Cloutis, E.A., Hecht, L. (2024). How and why can oxidation influence the reflectance spectrum of pyroxenes on planetary bodies?. EPSC Abstracts. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5194/epsc2024-1069
Michalik, T., Maturilli, A., Cloutis, E.A., Stephan, K., Milke, R., Matz, K., Jaumann, R., Hecht, L., Hiesinger, H., Otto, K.A. (2024). Laboratory VIS–NIR reflectance measurements of heated Vesta regolith analogs: Unraveling the spectral properties of the pitted impact deposits on Vesta. Meteoritics & Planetary Science, 59(6), 1421-1454. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/maps.14156
Arens, F.L., Feige, J., Airo, A., Sager, C., Hecht, L., Horstmann, L., Kaufmann, F.E., Lachner, J., Neumann, T., Nowaczyk, N., Schiperski, F., Steier, P., Stoll, A., Struck, U., Valenzuela, B., Von Blanckenburg, F., Wittmann, H., Wacker, L., Wagner, D., Zamorano, P., Schulze-Makuch, D. (2024). Climate variability in a 3.8 Ma old sedimentary record from the hyperarid Atacama Desert. Global and Planetary Change, 242, 104576. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloplacha.2024.104576