I am Adithya

and I am a physicist.

I am Adithya...

... and I am a Physics PhD student in the group of Dr. Sachin Jain at IISER Pune.

My current research is in theoretical high-energy physics.
I am working broadly in quantum field theory, conformal field theories, and the mathematical structures underlying fundamental physics. While my current work focuses on bootstrap methods for conformal field theories, I am equally interested in the interplay between physics, mathematics, and computation, and in how ideas from seemingly distant disciplines can shed light on fundamental questions.

I received my Integrated Masters' in Physics degree in 2024 from NIT Surat, India, where I worked with Laurent Baulieu from Sorbonne University on my master's thesis on Quantum Gauge Field theories.

During my studies, I have also had the opportunity to carry out research projects at several institutes, including a DAAD-WISE project at Friedrich Schiller University Jena, as well as research internships at TIFR, IISc, PRL, and other institutes.

RESEARCH

If you are a layman — I study Quantum Field Theories (QFTs). QFT is the framework we use to describe the fundamental particles and forces of nature. Rather than thinking of particles as tiny billiard balls, QFT begins with fields that fill all of space. At every point in space and time, each field has a mathematical value, and what we perceive as particles are simply ripples or excitations of these fields. Quantum field theory has become one of the most successful theories ever developed, accurately describing everything from the interactions inside atomic nuclei to the particles produced at the Large Hadron Collider. Yet, despite its extraordinary success, QFT still hides profound mysteries. The greatest of these is how to consistently incorporate gravity into the quantum framework—one of the central unsolved problems in modern physics. Much of modern theoretical physics is devoted to finding simpler and more elegant ways of understanding these incredibly rich theories.

If you are not a layman — My research is primarily on conformal field theories (CFTs) which are QFTs but with some extra scaling symmetries. Their remarkable universality allows the same mathematical framework to describe phenomena as diverse as boiling water at its critical point and, in certain contexts, aspects of quantum gravity.
Over the last few decades, scattering amplitudes have undergone something of a revolution. Ideas such as Witten's twistor theory and Nima's amplituhedron have revealed that scattering processes possess an elegant mathematical structure that is almost invisible in the traditional Lagrangian formulation. Rather than making calculations merely faster, these developments have changed the way we think about quantum field theory itself.
Our work aims to bring some of that elegance to conformal field theories. The hope is that by viewing CFTs through the lens of scattering amplitudes, we can uncover hidden structures and new physical insights that remain obscured in more conventional approaches. If history is any guide, sometimes changing the language is all it takes to reveal something that was there all along.

Another aspect I find interesting is the use of computers, and more recently AI in theoretical physics. By using AI, I do not mean the use of LLMs for dreaming up calculations, but rather a systematic application of the architectures to actually do physics on computer. Also, large scale simulations, such as lattice simulations, or the simulation running as the background of this page provides us a digital testing ground where we can test our theories to their extremeties, and I am interested in the use of these methods in theoretical physics too.

WORKS

Super-Grassmannians for $\mathcal{N}=2$ to $4$ SCFT$_3$: From AdS$_4$ Correlators to $\mathcal{N}=4$ SYM scattering Amplitudes
Bala Aswini, Jain Sachin, K. S. Dhruva, Rao Adithya A. (IISER Pune, India)
We construct a Super-Grassmannian framework for $n$-point functions in $\mathcal N=2\!-\!4$ SCFT$_3$, where superconformal and $R$-symmetry constraints are manifest through operator-valued delta functions. We test the formalism in $\mathcal N=2$ and $\mathcal N=4$ AdS$_4$ super Yang--Mills theories, reproducing known correlators and constructing $\mathcal N=4$ super-operators in two distinct ways. One yields a multiplet containing spins up to two, while the other is CPT self-conjugate and mirrors the $\mathcal N=4$ SYM superfield structure. The latter connects directly to flat-space $\mathcal N=4$ SYM amplitudes, revealing an enhancement of the $R$-symmetry from $SO(\mathcal N)$ to $SU(\mathcal N)$ in the flat-space limit.
A semi-technical summary can be found on alphaXiv

The $\mathcal{N}=1$ Super-Grassmannian for CFT$_3$ and a Foray on AdS and Cosmological Correlators
Bala Aswini, Jain Sachin, K. S. Dhruva, Rao Adithya A. (IISER Pune, India)
We construct a Super-Grassmannian integral representation for $n$-point functions in $\mathcal{N}=1$ SCFT$_3$, where conformal and superconformal symmetries are manifest through operator-valued delta functions. The formalism relates all component correlators to a single component and enables the construction of (A)dS$_4$ correlators with contact contributions from purely exchange correlators. As an example, we derive the (A)dS$_4$ Yang--Mills gluon four-point function from its gluino counterpart and establish a flat-space limit in superspace that agrees with known results.
A semi-technical summary can be found on alphaXiv

Interacting tachyonic scalar field II
Ojha V K, Rao Adithya A. (NIT Surat, India), Pathak S D (LPU, India)
We investigate a homogeneous interacting tachyonic scalar field as a dynamical dark energy candidate capable of driving the observed accelerated expansion of the Universe. Considering interactions proportional to either the matter or tachyonic-field energy density and the Hubble parameter, we study the expansion history, age of the Universe, and the evolution of the corresponding energy densities in a spatially flat ($k=0$) cosmology. We find that the interaction coupling is bounded above by unity, independent of whether the interaction is sourced by matter or tachyonic-field energy density.
A semi-technical summary can be found on alphaXiv

HONORS

2025: CSIR-Junior Research Fellowship (All India Rank - 116)
2025: GATE-Physics Paper All India Rank 64
2025: Gold Medal - NIT Surat.
2024: SVNIT Alumni Association Gold Medal.
2024: Young Scientist Participant, 73rd Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting in Physics, one of 640 international young scientists.
2023: DAAD-WISE award, fully funded research project at FSU Jena, one of 130 Indian students.
2021: IASc, INSA, NASI - SRFP award, fully funded research project at PRL Ahmedabad, one of 100 Indian students.
2019: Department of Science and Technology, Government of India - INSPIRE award, for exceptional performance in high school examinations. Awarded to top 1% students of India.

MISC.

To see what I am up to now, visit /now.

Interactive Exploration

I have developed a few webpages for exploring concepts like Monte-Carlo simulations and Hopfield Networks interactively. Check them out at /blog (you can filter them using t:interactive).

Creative Corner

Sometime you can find me sketching too! You can find a few of my sketches at /art
I also love web-designing (which I do mostly with pure CSS/JS!). A few previous iterations (not updated) of my website are here:
Click here for the most recent one and here for a bit older one. The older one took a lot of sweat and soil! But was dumped at the end due to it being not relevant to an academic setting... Since I gave up on that iteration, the older one is also not optimized for mobile devices!
I have also created the website for the Physics Club of NIT Surat. Give it a visit at physicsclubsvnit.github.io

Science Communication

Articles:
I believe in science for all, and therefore I have contributed some articles to thehavok.com aimed at making science accessible to all. You can read those articles at here
Talk Slides:
The particle problem - Talk given in the Science Sabha series of physics club at SVNIT Surat, in February 2023.
Effects of Extra-Dimensions on Force Fields and Particles - Talk given in the Quanta seminar series of Department of Physics at SVNIT Surat, in August 2022.

Travel

I love traveling, and I was fortunate enough to get plenty of opportunities to travel recently.
A map of the places I visited and a few comments on them is available at /travel.

NOTES

Here are a few notes that I have taken while taking lectures. They are incomplete as of now, and I will keep updating them as I complete the lectures.

Quantum Field Theory I
Instructor — Prof. Suvrat Raju
International Center for Theoretical Sciences, Bangalore.
Notes Youtube Lectures

Complex Analysis
Instructor — Prof. Balakrishnan
Indian Institute of Technology, Madras.
Notes Youtube Lectures