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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 have also recently been awarded a UKRI 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

Open Data from the Third Observing Run of LIGO, Virgo, KAGRA, and GEO
R Abbott, H Abe, F Acernese, K Ackley, S Adhicary, N Adhikari, RX Adhikari, VK Adkins, VB Adya, C Affeldt, D Agarwal, M Agathos, OD Aguiar, L Aiello, A Ain, P Ajith, T Akutsu, S Albanesi, RA Alfaidi, A Al-Jodah, C Alléné, A Allocca, M Almualla, PA Altin, A Amato et al.
– Astrophysical Journal, Supplement Series
(2023)
267,
29
Analog vacuum decay from vacuum initial conditions
AC Jenkins, J Braden, HV Peiris, A Pontzen, MC Johnson, S Weinfurtner
(2023)
Can gravitational-wave memory help constrain binary black-hole parameters? A LISA case study
S Gasparotto, R Vicente, D Blas, AC Jenkins, E Barausse
– Physical Review D
(2023)
107,
124033
Constraints on the Cosmic Expansion History from GWTC-3
R Abbott, H Abe, F Acernese, K Ackley, N Adhikari, RX Adhikari, VK Adkins, VB Adya, C Affeldt, D Agarwal, M Agathos, K Agatsuma, N Aggarwal, OD Aguiar, L Aiello, A Ain, P Ajith, T Akutsu, S Albanesi, RA Alfaidi, A Allocca, PA Altin, A Amato, C Anand, S Anand et al.
– The Astrophysical Journal
(2023)
949,
76
Search for gravitational-lensing signatures in the full third observing run of the LIGO-Virgo network
TLIGOS Collaboration, TV Collaboration, TKAGRA Collaboration, R Abbott, H Abe, F Acernese, K Ackley, S Adhicary, N Adhikari, RX Adhikari, VK Adkins, VB Adya, C Affeldt, D Agarwal, M Agathos, OD Aguiar, L Aiello, A Ain, P Ajith, T Akutsu, S Albanesi, RA Alfaidi, C Alléné, A Allocca, PA Altin et al.
(2023)
Population of Merging Compact Binaries Inferred Using Gravitational Waves through GWTC-3
R Abbott, TD Abbott, F Acernese, K Ackley, C Adams, N Adhikari, RX Adhikari, VB Adya, C Affeldt, D Agarwal, M Agathos, K Agatsuma, N Aggarwal, OD Aguiar, L Aiello, A Ain, P Ajith, T Akutsu, PF De Alarcón, S Akcay, S Albanesi, A Allocca, PA Altin, A Amato, C Anand et al.
– Physical Review X
(2023)
13,
011048
Science with the Einstein Telescope: a comparison of different designs
M Branchesi, M Maggiore, D Alonso, C Badger, B Banerjee, F Beirnaert, E Belgacem, S Bhagwat, G Boileau, S Borhanian, DD Brown, ML Chan, G Cusin, SL Danilishin, J Degallaix, VD Luca, A Dhani, T Dietrich, U Dupletsa, S Foffa, G Franciolini, A Freise, G Gemme, B Goncharov, A Ghosh et al.
(2023)
Search for subsolar-mass black hole binaries in the second part of Advanced LIGO’s and Advanced Virgo’s third observing run
– Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
(2023)
524,
5984
Open data from the third observing run of LIGO, Virgo, KAGRA and GEO
TLIGOS Collaboration, TV Collaboration, TKAGRA Collaboration, R Abbott, H Abe, F Acernese, K Ackley, S Adhicary, N Adhikari, RX Adhikari, VK Adkins, VB Adya, C Affeldt, D Agarwal, M Agathos, OD Aguiar, L Aiello, A Ain, P Ajith, T Akutsu, S Albanesi, RA Alfaidi, A Al-Jodah, C Alléné, A Allocca et al.
(2023)
Can gravitational-wave memory help constrain binary black-hole parameters? A LISA case study
S Gasparotto, R Vicente, D Blas, AC Jenkins, E Barausse
(2023)
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Research Group

Relativity and Gravitation

Room

BL.33

Telephone

01223 765317