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Dr Alexander Jenkins

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

Searches for Gravitational Waves from Known Pulsars at Two Harmonics in 2015-2017 LIGO Data
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, A Ananyeva et al.
(2019)
(doi: 10.48550/arxiv.1902.08507)
Narrow-band search for gravitational waves from known pulsars using the second LIGO observing run
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, A Ananyeva et al.
(2019)
(doi: 10.48550/arxiv.1902.08442)
Shot noise in the astrophysical gravitational-wave background
AC Jenkins, M Sakellariadou
(2019)
(doi: 10.48550/arxiv.1902.07719)
Search for transient gravitational wave signals associated with magnetar bursts during Advanced LIGO's second observing run
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, A Ananyeva et al.
(2019)
(doi: 10.48550/arxiv.1902.01557)
Search for Multimessenger Sources of Gravitational Waves and High-energy Neutrinos with Advanced LIGO during Its First Observing Run, ANTARES, and IceCube
A Albert, M André, M Anghinolfi, M Ardid, JJ Aubert, J Aublin, T Avgitas, B Baret, J Barrios-Martí, S Basa, B Belhorma, V Bertin, S Biagi, R Bormuth, J Boumaaza, S Bourret, MC Bouwhuis, H Brânzaş, R Bruijn, J Brunner, J Busto, A Capone, L Caramete, J Carr, S Celli et al.
– Astrophysical Journal
(2019)
870,
134
(doi: 10.3847/1538-4357/aaf21d)
Low-Latency Gravitational Wave Alerts for Multi-Messenger Astronomy During the Second Advanced LIGO and Virgo Observing Run
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, A Ananyeva et al.
(2019)
(doi: 10.48550/arxiv.1901.03310)
First measurement of the Hubble constant from a dark standard siren using the Dark Energy Survey galaxies and the LIGO/Virgo binary-black-hole merger GW170814
The DES Collaboration, the LIGO Scientific Collaboration, the Virgo Collaboration, M Soares-Santos, A Palmese, W Hartley, J Annis, J Garcia-Bellido, O Lahav, Z Doctor, M Fishbach, DE Holz, H Lin, MES Pereira, A Garcia, K Herner, R Kessler, HV Peiris, M Sako, S Allam, D Brout, AC Rosell, HY Chen, C Conselice, J deRose et al.
(2019)
(doi: 10.48550/arxiv.1901.01540)
Response to Cusin et al's comment on arXiv:1810.13435
AC Jenkins, M Sakellariadou, T Regimbau, E Slezak, R O'Shaughnessy, D Wysocki
(2019)
(doi: 10.48550/arxiv.1901.01078)
Searches for Continuous Gravitational Waves from Fifteen Supernova Remnants and Fomalhaut b with Advanced LIGO
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, A Ananyeva et al.
(2018)
(doi: 10.48550/arxiv.1812.11656)
Binary Black Hole Population Properties Inferred from 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, 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, A Ananyeva et al.
(2018)
(doi: 10.48550/arxiv.1811.12940)
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Relativity and Gravitation

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BL.33

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01223 765317

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