Pranawachandra Deshmukh

Pranawachandra Deshmukh is an Indian physicist and educator renowned for his contributions to theoretical atomic physics, atomic collisions, light–matter interactions, ultrafast atomic processes, and applications of Lambert W Function in pure and applied physics. He has made significant contributions to physics education, including publishing foundational classical and quantum physics textbooks. Throughout his teaching career, he has instructed courses in classical mechanics, electrodynamics, quantum mechanics, and quantum collision physics. Many of his lectures are freely accessible through the National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning (NPTEL), Swayamprabha where they benefit students and educators across India and beyond. His research group is one of the main contributors to the relativistic many-body studies of atomic photoionization, particularly the photoionization processes of free and confined atoms. His work includes studies of attosecond time delay, highlighting the role of electron correlations, relativistic effects and interchannel coupling. His broader research interests also include quantum information science and mathematical physics.

Prof. Deshmukh has authored over 300 research publications, including approximately 150 journal articles and around 200 conference contributions. He has supervised 17 doctoral theses and over 20 master's and undergraduate theses. in Dec 2025. Currently, he serves as a professor in the Dept. of Physics, Central University of Kerala where he plans to mentor researchers and help build an advanced research eco-system. Prior to this he was the Founder-Convenor and Mentor of the Center for Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Sciences ad Technologies (CAMOST ) in Tirupati. CAMOST is a joint initiative of the Indian Institute of Technology Tirupati (IITT) and the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Tirupati (IISERT). Concurrently, he is RV Chair Professor at the Centre for Quantum Science and Technology (CQST), School of Computer Science and Engineering (SoCSE) at RV University, where he guides research and educational efforts in quantum science, drawing on his vast expertise to support the center's growth and innovation. Besides, he is the Chief Technology Advisor to the Vivekananda Institute of Professional Studies (VIPS), Delhi

Early life and education Deshmukh was born in Amravati, Maharashtra, on 12 September 1950. He completed his higher education in Nagpur, where he studied at the Saraswathi Vidyalaya, Hadas High School, Institute of Science, and the Postgraduate Department of Physics of Nagpur University. From 1980 until 1983, Deshmukh was a research associate and adjunct assistant professor at Georgia State University, collaborating with Professor S. T. Manson.

In 1984, Deshmukh joined the Department of Physics at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras Quantum Collisions and Confinement of Atomic and Molecular Species, and Photons, Chief Editor; Published by Springer (2019) Quantum Mechanics – Formalism, Methodologies, and Applications, Cambridge University Press (2023) Quantum Mechanics – Formalism, Methodologies, and Applications

Services

Convener, 11th National Conference of Atomic and Molecular Physics, Indian Society for Atomic and Molecular Physics: December 1996 Secretary, Indian Society for Atomic and Molecular Physics: Convener, 7th Topical Conference of the Indian Society for Atomic and Molecular Physics: January 6–8, 2018 Convener, AAMOS20 - Advances in Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Sciences: December 14–18, 2020 Member, Board of Editors, Institute of Physics Journal - Physica Scripta: Ongoing Member, Indian Association of Physics Teachers

Selected Talks

Why is reality NON-LOCAL? Attosecond dynamics Time and time delay in atomic dynamics The only principle that required explanation in terms of two different phenomena How come Newton's laws works?

Selected bibliography