# Santanu Pradhan — Academic Portfolio & Research Knowledge Base

> PhD Researcher in Physics at the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IIT Kanpur), specializing in Buffer Gas Physics, Quantum Measurement, Precision Metrology, and Theoretical Gravitational Physics.

## Academic Identity & Affiliations
- **Full Name**: Santanu Pradhan
- **Current Position**: PhD Student / Doctoral Researcher (Joined August 2025)
- **Department**: Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IITK)
- **Current Research Lab**: Quantum Measurement Lab (FB-475 / Old Core Labs 104D)
- **Current Doctoral Supervisor**: Prof. Saikat Ghosh (IIT Kanpur)
- **Former Doctoral Supervisor**: Prof. Tapobrata Sarkar (IIT Kanpur)
- **Master's Thesis Supervisor**: Prof. Manavendra Mahato (IIT Indore)
- **Institutional Email**: santanup25@iitk.ac.in
- **Alumni Email**: msc2203151019@alum.iiti.ac.in
- **Office Location**: Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kalyanpur, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh 208016, India
- **Coordinates**: 26.515515° N, 80.232474° E
- **Website**: https://santanu-p.github.io/personal-webpage/

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## Research Focus & Scientific Trajectory

### 1. Current Experimental Project
- **Buffer Gas Physics & Atomic Vapor Cells**: Investigating atomic velocity distributions, velocity-changing collisions, collisional decoherence suppression, and transit-time broadening in thermal vapor cells containing alkali atoms (Rubidium/Cesium) and noble buffer gases (Argon, Neon, Helium).

### 2. Upcoming Research Horizons in Quantum Measurement Lab
- **Optical Magnetometry & SERF Sensors**: High-sensitivity optical magnetometers operating in the spin-exchange relaxation-free (SERF) regime for biomagnetic field detection and quantum-enhanced sensing under the National Quantum Mission (NQM).
- **Laser-Cooled Cold Atoms & MOTs**: Optical trapping, Magneto-Optical Traps (MOTs), and collective atom-light interaction dynamics in cold atomic ensembles.
- **Graphene & 2D Hybrid Optomechanics**: High-$Q$ graphene and silicon nitride ($\text{Si}_3\text{N}_4$) optomechanical drum resonators for ultra-sensitive force, mass, and acceleration sensing.
- **Quantum Information Theory & Measurement Limits**: Quantum weak value amplification, non-destructive quantum state estimation, optimal quantum estimation bounds, and Fisher information limits.

### 3. Theoretical Foundations (Earlier Doctoral & Master's Research)
- **Gravitational Physics & Modified Gravity**: Formulation of Fermi normal coordinates in extreme black-hole spacetimes and computation of surface-regularized tidal Love numbers for white dwarfs and neutron stars in Eddington-inspired Born-Infeld (EiBI) gravity.
- **Quasinormal Modes & Holography**: Master's thesis on AdS/CFT correspondence, anti-de Sitter black holes, and quasinormal modes (QNMs) of rotating Kerr black holes using the Horowitz-Hubeny spectral method.
- **Mathematical Physics**: Green's functions, complex analysis, and boundary-value problems in classical and quantum field theory.

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## Academic Bibliography & Manuscripts

### Manuscripts in Preparation
- **Surface Regularized Tidal Love Numbers of White Dwarfs in Eddington-Inspired Born-Infeld Gravity**
  - *Authors*: Santanu Pradhan, Tapobrata Sarkar
  - *Year*: 2026
  - *Status*: Manuscript in preparation for journal submission
  - *Field*: Gravitational Physics & Modified Theories of Gravity
  - *Abstract Summary*: Evaluates tidal deformability and regularized quadrupolar Love numbers ($k_2$) of relativistic compact white dwarfs subjected to external quadrupolar tidal fields in EiBI gravity with realistic polytropic equations of state.

### Master's Thesis
- **AdS/CFT, Anti-de Sitter Black Holes and Quasinormal Modes**
  - *Author*: Santanu Pradhan
  - *Advisor*: Prof. Manavendra Mahato
  - *Institution*: Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Indore (2024)
  - *Focus*: Holographic duality, boundary field theories, and spectral computation of complex quasinormal frequencies for scalar and tensor perturbations in asymptotically AdS and Kerr geometries.

### Current Experimental Investigation
- **Atomic Coherence, Diffusion Dynamics, and Collisional Decoherence in Thermal Alkali-Buffer Gas Vapor Cells**
  - *Author*: Santanu Pradhan
  - *Supervisor*: Prof. Saikat Ghosh
  - *Lab*: Quantum Measurement Lab, IIT Kanpur (2025–2026)
  - *Focus*: Laser transmission spectroscopy, optical pumping, and collisional relaxation rates in thermal atomic vapor.

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## Education & Academic Qualifications

- **Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Physics** (August 2025 – Present)
  - *Institution*: Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IIT Kanpur)
  - *Lab*: Quantum Measurement Lab
  - *Supervisor*: Prof. Saikat Ghosh (Current); Prof. Tapobrata Sarkar (Initial phase)

- **Master of Science (MSc) in Physics** (2022 – 2024)
  - *Institution*: Indian Institute of Technology Indore (IIT Indore)
  - *Thesis*: *AdS/CFT, Anti-de Sitter Black Holes and Quasinormal Modes* (Advisor: Prof. Manavendra Mahato)
  - *Grade*: First Class with Distinction (CPI: 7.71 / 10.0)

- **Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Physics (Honours)** (2019 – 2022)
  - *Institution*: Ramakrishna Mission Residential College (Autonomous), Narendrapur (University of Calcutta)
  - *Project*: *Green's Functions in Mathematical Physics* (Advisor: Prof. Pradipta Panchadhyayee)
  - *Honours*: First Class Honours (CGPA: 8.35 / 10.0)

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## Technical Skills & Methodologies

- **Experimental Methods**: Optical spectroscopy, laser diode tuning, vapor cell temperature control, optical pumping, vacuum systems, lock-in detection, photo-detection circuits.
- **Analytical & Mathematical Physics**: General Relativity, Tensor Calculus, Differential Geometry, Quantum Mechanics, Quantum Optics, Complex Analysis, Boundary Value Problems, Green's Functions.
- **Computational & Numerical Tools**: Python (NumPy, SciPy, SymPy, Matplotlib), Wolfram Mathematica, C/C++, GNU Octave, LaTeX/KaTeX, Shell Scripting, Git/GitHub.
- **Numerical Algorithms**: Runge-Kutta ODE solvers (RK4, RK45), shooting methods, finite difference PDE discretizations, Horowitz-Hubeny spectral eigenvalue solvers, matrix diagonalization.

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## Academic Presentations & Talks

- **MSc Thesis Defense & Presentation** (May 2024)
  - *Title*: *AdS/CFT, Anti-de Sitter Black Holes and Quasinormal Modes*
  - *Venue*: Department of Physics, IIT Indore (Delivered)
- **Departmental Seminar on Green's Functions** (May 2022)
  - *Title*: *Applications of Green's Functions in Classical and Quantum Systems*
  - *Venue*: RKM Residential College Narendrapur, University of Calcutta (Delivered)
- **Frontiers in Physics Lecture** (January 2024)
  - *Title*: *The Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) Project and Next-Generation Astronomy* by Prof. Eswar Reddy (Attended)
- **Institute Seminars & Symposia** (2022–Present)
  - Regular participation in physics colloquia, condensed matter seminars, and quantum technology workshops across IIT Kanpur and IIT Indore.

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## Pedagogical Notes & Reference Collections

- **Quantum Field Theory (Tong)**: Complete 38-lecture comprehensive monograph following Cambridge lecture series by Prof. David Tong (Canonical quantization, Dirac fields, Feynman diagrams, QED, symmetry breaking) rendered with real-time KaTeX LaTeX math.
- **Fermi Coordinates in General Relativity**: Mathematical derivation of Fermi-Walker transport, Riemann curvature tensor expansions, and local inertial frames near black hole horizons.
- **Tidal Deformability & Love Numbers**: Relativistic perturbation theory for compact stars under external tidal fields, matching interior/exterior solutions, and extraction of Love numbers.
- **Green's Functions in Classical & Quantum Physics**: Theoretical formulation of Sturm-Liouville operators, Dirac delta representations, and integral kernel transformations.

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## Digital Security & Verification
- **OpenPGP Key ID**: `0xD2C26BC29A9DE63D`
- **PGP Fingerprint**: `D2EE 2865 5792 F79F 471F 9328 D2C2 6BC2 9A9D E63D`
- **Public Key File**: `https://santanu-p.github.io/personal-webpage/santanu_pradhan_publickey.asc`

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## Links & Navigation
- **Home**: https://santanu-p.github.io/personal-webpage/#/
- **About / Biography**: https://santanu-p.github.io/personal-webpage/#/about
- **Research Themes & Roadmap**: https://santanu-p.github.io/personal-webpage/#/research
- **Publications & Manuscripts**: https://santanu-p.github.io/personal-webpage/#/publications
- **Talks & Events**: https://santanu-p.github.io/personal-webpage/#/talks
- **Pedagogical Notes & LaTeX**: https://santanu-p.github.io/personal-webpage/#/notes
- **Academic Bookshelf**: https://santanu-p.github.io/personal-webpage/#/books
- **Photo Gallery**: https://santanu-p.github.io/personal-webpage/#/gallery
- **Contact & Directions**: https://santanu-p.github.io/personal-webpage/#/contact
- **Science News Hub**: https://santanu-p.github.io/personal-webpage/#/science-news
- **Full LLM Knowledge Document**: https://santanu-p.github.io/personal-webpage/llms-full.txt
- **Institutional Profile**: https://home.iitk.ac.in/~santanup25/
- **ResearchGate**: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Santanu-Pradhan-3
- **GitHub**: https://github.com/santanu-p
- **LinkedIn**: https://www.linkedin.com/in/p-santanu/