Dr Benedict J Heinen

I study the behaviour of materials under conditions of high pressure and temperature. My research interests lie in experimental petrology, mineral physics and high-pressure science.

I use diamond anvil cells combined with laser- or electrical-heating methods to create extreme conditions of high pressure and temperature in the lab. I use a variety of techniques to analyse samples, including synchrotron X-ray techniques (mainly powder diffraction and total scattering analysis) and optical spectroscopies. I am interested in investigating a wide range of topics, such as the phase diagrams and thermoelastic properties of deep mantle phases, the melting properties of transition metals, the structure and density of glasses and melts, and the source of seismic heterogeneities in the Earth's lower mantle. 
 
I am also interested in technique and method development for high-P-T experiments, including micro-fabrication methods, more accurate temperature measurements, and novel heating techniques for the DAC. I am working on the continual development of internal resistive heating, where an electrical micro-heater sits inside the pressure chamber of a diamond anvil cell.

I also develop open-source software to complement my research. This includes LiquidDiffract, a user-friendly tool for X-ray total scattering analysis. I make my software available via my GitHub.