BS 2016, Physics, Yale University
California Institute of Technology
Seismological Laboratory
1200 E. California Blvd., MS 252-21
So. Mudd Building, Rm 370
Pasadena, CA 91125
Phone:
(626) 395-8906/8931
Fax: (626) 564-0715
Email: vdobrosa@caltech.edu
Website: vasilije.org
I work with Jennifer Jackson on combining high-pressure synchrotron-based experiments with interdisciplinary collaboration to study the physics of deep Earth materials, structures, and processes. My scientific interests focus on the complex multi-scale structures actively being discovered at Earth’s core-mantle boundary and their role in planetary dynamics and evolution. My recent experimental work has involved developing a multi-technique approach for measuring the melting of iron-bearing materials at high-pressures. I have applied this new approach to an Fe-Ni-Si alloy compatible with recent estimates of core compositions for Earth and Mercury, clarified the effect of silicon on core temperatures, and addressed discrepancies among melt detection techniques. In addition, I am active in interdisciplinary efforts to quantify the compositions of ultralow velocity zones, the most extreme seismically-detected structures at Earth’s core-mantle boundary region. My contributions have involved constructing mineralogical models of a solid ULVZ compatible with constraints from seismology, mineral physics, and geodynamics. I am also involved in several additional experimental projects investigating the high-pressure properties of water-bearing phases relevant to the interiors of Earth, Mars, and icy satellites.
