Dr Alexander Jenkins

I'm a theoretical physicist, working at the interface between cosmology, high-energy physics, and quantum matter. My research looks at new ways of probing the fundamental laws of Nature, whether that's using gravitational waves as cosmic messengers, or using 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

An Optically Targeted Search for Gravitational Waves emitted by Core-Collapse Supernovae during the First and Second Observing Runs of Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo

The LIGO Scientific Collaboration, the Virgo Collaboration, 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, G Allen, A Allocca, MA Aloy, PA Altin, A Amato, S Anand, A Ananyeva et al.

(2019)

(doi: 10.48550/arxiv.1908.03584)

Model comparison from LIGO-Virgo data on GW170817's binary components and consequences for the merger remnant

(2019)

(doi: 10.48550/arxiv.1908.01012)

Search for Eccentric Binary Black Hole Mergers with Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo during their First and Second Observing Runs

The LIGO Scientific Collaboration, the Virgo Collaboration, BP Abbott, 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, L Aiello, A Ain, P Ajith, G Allen, A Allocca, MA Aloy, PA Altin, A Amato, S Anand et al.

(2019)

(doi: 10.48550/arxiv.1907.09384)

Estimating the angular power spectrum of the gravitational-wave background in the presence of shot noise

AC Jenkins, JD Romano, M Sakellariadou

(2019)

(doi: 10.48550/arxiv.1907.06642)

All-sky search for short gravitational-wave bursts in the second Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo run

BP Abbott, 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, L Aiello, A Ain, P Ajith, G Allen, A Allocca, MA Aloy, PA Altin, A Amato, S Anand, A Ananyeva, SB Anderson et al.

– Physical Review D

(2019)

100,

024017

(doi: 10.1103/PhysRevD.100.024017)