Edward B. Jenkins

Position
Senior Scholar
Office Phone
Office
120A Peyton
Bio/Description

Dr‭. ‬Jenkins performs research on the interstellar and intergalactic medium by analyzing absorption lines in the UV spectra of stars and quasars‭.  ‬Special interests include‭ (‬1‭) ‬measurements of the distribution of thermal pressures in the Galactic interstellar medium through the analysis of atomic fine-structure level populations‭, (‬2‭) ‬Observations of O VI absorption features which reveal the presence of collisionally ionized gas at T‭ = ‬300,000‭ ‬K‭,  (‬3‭) ‬A generalized description of depletions of atomic gas-phase abundances of different elements as they condense into solid form onto dust grains‭, (‬4‭) ‬The abundance of deuterium and its variability‭, ‬and‭ (‬5‭) ‬the ionization and electron density of the Local Interstellar Medium‭ (‬LISM‭).  ‬His past research has made use of the Copernicus satellite‭, ‬the International Ultraviolet Explorer‭, ‬the Hubble Space Telescope and the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer‭.  ‬He was the principal investigator for the Interstellar Medium Absorption Profile Spectrograph‭ (‬IMAPS‭), ‬which obtained spectra of bright stars between 950‭ ‬and 1150‭ ‬A at a wavelength resolving power of about 100,000‭.  ‬This instrument flew on sounding rockets and also operated on two ORFEUS-SPAS missions launched into orbit by the Space Shuttle‭.‬