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Faculty of Mathematics

 

I'm a theoretical physicist, working at the interface between cosmology, astrophysics, high-energy physics, and quantum matter. My research looks at new ways of probing the fundamental laws of Nature, whether by using gravitational waves as powerful new astronomical messengers, or by using cutting-edge quantum technologies to simulate the early Universe.

I'm currently based at the University of Cambridge, where I hold the Gavin Boyle Fellowship in Cosmology at the Kavli Institute for Cosmology (KICC) and the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics (DAMTP). I am also supported by an EPSRC Stephen Hawking Fellowship, and am a Fellow of Selwyn College.

Much of my current work focuses on vacuum decay, a fascinating quantum-mechanical phenomenon that is a ubiquitous feature of early-Universe cosmology. As a member of the Quantum Simulators for Fundamental Physics (QSimFP) Consortium, I am helping to develop laboratory experiments that will empirically test our understanding of vacuum decay for the first time. These experiments could have important and far-reaching implications for areas ranging from inflation and the multiverse to the stability of the Higgs field.

Another key focus of my research is gravitational-wave astronomy. I am particularly interested in using gravitational-wave observations to probe cosmology and fundamental physics, for example by searching for signals generated in the very early Universe, or by using gravitational-wave sources as tracers of cosmic structure formation. In 2023 I was awarded a Buchalter Cosmology Prize (2nd prize) for my work on detecting gravitational waves via their effect on binary systems.

I was previously a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Cosmoparticle Initiative at University College London (2021-2024). I did my PhD in Theoretical Physics at King's College London (2017-2021), and my MA and MSci in Astrophysics at the University of Cambridge (2013-2017).

Publications

All-sky search in early O3 LIGO data for continuous gravitational-wave signals from unknown neutron stars in binary systems
The LIGO Scientific Collaboration, the Virgo Collaboration, R Abbott, TD Abbott, S Abraham, F Acernese, K Ackley, A Adams, C Adams, RX Adhikari, VB Adya, C Affeldt, D Agarwal, M Agathos, K Agatsuma, N Aggarwal, OD Aguiar, L Aiello, A Ain, P Ajith, KM Aleman, G Allen, A Allocca, PA Altin, A Amato et al.
(2020)
Population Properties of Compact Objects from the Second LIGO-Virgo Gravitational-Wave Transient Catalog
The LIGO Scientific Collaboration, the Virgo Collaboration, R Abbott, TD Abbott, S Abraham, F Acernese, K Ackley, A Adams, C Adams, RX Adhikari, VB Adya, C Affeldt, M Agathos, K Agatsuma, N Aggarwal, OD Aguiar, L Aiello, A Ain, P Ajith, G Allen, A Allocca, PA Altin, A Amato, S Anand, A Ananyeva et al.
(2020)
Tests of General Relativity with Binary Black Holes from the second LIGO-Virgo Gravitational-Wave Transient Catalog
The LIGO Scientific Collaboration, the Virgo Collaboration, R Abbott, TD Abbott, S Abraham, F Acernese, K Ackley, A Adams, C Adams, RX Adhikari, VB Adya, C Affeldt, M Agathos, K Agatsuma, N Aggarwal, OD Aguiar, L Aiello, A Ain, P Ajith, G Allen, A Allocca, PA Altin, A Amato, S Anand, A Ananyeva et al.
(2020)
Search for Gravitational Waves Associated with Gamma-Ray Bursts Detected by Fermi and Swift During the LIGO-Virgo Run O3a
The LIGO Scientific Collaboration, the Virgo Collaboration, R Abbott, TD Abbott, S Abraham, F Acernese, K Ackley, C Adams, RX Adhikari, VB Adya, C Affeldt, M Agathos, K Agatsuma, N Aggarwal, OD Aguiar, A Aich, L Aiello, A Ain, P Ajith, G Allen, A Allocca, PA Altin, A Amato, S Anand, A Ananyeva et al.
(2020)
GWTC-2: Compact Binary Coalescences Observed by LIGO and Virgo During the First Half of the Third Observing Run
R Abbott, TD Abbott, S Abraham, F Acernese, K Ackley, A Adams, C Adams, RX Adhikari, VB Adya, C Affeldt, M Agathos, K Agatsuma, N Aggarwal, OD Aguiar, L Aiello, A Ain, P Ajith, S Akcay, G Allen, A Allocca, PA Altin, A Amato, S Anand, A Ananyeva, SB Anderson et al.
(2020)
Gravitational-wave Constraints on the Equatorial Ellipticity of Millisecond Pulsars
R Abbott, TD Abbott, S Abraham, F Acernese, K Ackley, A Adams, C Adams, RX Adhikari, VB Adya, C Affeldt, M Agathos, K Agatsuma, N Aggarwal, OD Aguiar, L Aiello, A Ain, P Ajith, G Allen, A Allocca, PA Altin, A Amato, S Anand, A Ananyeva, SB Anderson, WG Anderson et al.
– Astrophysical Journal Letters
(2020)
902,
L21
Prospects for observing and localizing gravitational-wave transients with Advanced LIGO, Advanced Virgo and KAGRA
BP Abbott, R Abbott, TD Abbott, S Abraham, F Acernese, K Ackley, C Adams, VB Adya, C Affeldt, M Agathos, K Agatsuma, N Aggarwal, OD Aguiar, L Aiello, A Ain, P Ajith, T Akutsu, G Allen, A Allocca, MA Aloy, PA Altin, A Amato, A Ananyeva, SB Anderson, WG Anderson et al.
– Living reviews in relativity
(2020)
23,
3
GW190521: A Binary Black Hole Merger with a Total Mass of $150 ~ M_{\odot}$
The LIGO Scientific Collaboration, the Virgo Collaboration, R Abbott, TD Abbott, S Abraham, F Acernese, K Ackley, C Adams, RX Adhikari, VB Adya, C Affeldt, M Agathos, K Agatsuma, N Aggarwal, OD Aguiar, A Aich, L Aiello, A Ain, P Ajith, S Akcay, G Allen, A Allocca, PA Altin, A Amato, S Anand et al.
(2020)
GW190521: A Binary Black Hole Merger with a Total Mass of 150  M_{⊙}.
R Abbott, TD Abbott, S Abraham, F Acernese, K Ackley, C Adams, RX Adhikari, VB Adya, C Affeldt, M Agathos, K Agatsuma, N Aggarwal, OD Aguiar, A Aich, L Aiello, A Ain, P Ajith, S Akcay, G Allen, A Allocca, PA Altin, A Amato, S Anand, A Ananyeva, SB Anderson et al.
– Phys Rev Lett
(2020)
125,
101102
Properties and Astrophysical Implications of the 150 M o˙Binary Black Hole Merger GW190521
R Abbott, TD Abbott, S Abraham, F Acernese, K Ackley, C Adams, RX Adhikari, VB Adya, C Affeldt, M Agathos, K Agatsuma, N Aggarwal, OD Aguiar, A Aich, L Aiello, A Ain, P Ajith, S Akcay, G Allen, A Allocca, PA Altin, A Amato, S Anand, A Ananyeva, SB Anderson et al.
– Astrophysical Journal Letters
(2020)
900,
L13
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Research Group

Relativity and Gravitation

Room

BL.33

Telephone

01223 765317