Ram Prasad Prajapati
Ram Prasad Prajapati
Professor
Centre/School/Special Centre
School of Physical Sciences
Room No
Office - 222, Lab - 233
Off. Phone
011-26738964
Email
rpprajapati[at]jnu[dot]ac[dot]in, prajapati.iter[at]gmail[dot]com
Personal Webpage
https://sites.google.com/view/rpprajapati/home
Personal files
CV_RPPrajapati.pdf
Qualifications

M.Sc., Ph.D.

Areas of Interest/Specialization

Space and Astrophysical Plasmas, Hydrodynamic instabilities, MHD, Dusty (complex) plasmas, Quantum Plasmas

Experience
Professor: School of Physical Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India (Nov 2023-till date)
Associate Professor: School of Physical Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India (Nov 2020- Nov. 2023)
Assistant Professor: Department of Pure and Applied Physics, Guru Ghasidas Central University, Bilaspur, India (July 2011 – Nov 2020)
Postdoctoral Fellow: Institute for Plasma Research, Gandhinagar, India (Dec 2010 – July 2011) 
Awards & Honours

  • Visiting Associateship awarded by IUCAA, Pune, India (2019).

  • Young Scientist in Physics awarded by Vigyan Bharti (2009).

  • BUTI Young Scientist Award by Plasma Science Society of India (PSSI) (2009).

  • DST Fast Track Young Scientist Award (2013).

  • BRICS Young Scientist, DST, New Delhi (2017)

  • Association of Asia Pacific Physical Societies (AAPPS-DPP) Best Research Award in Solar/Astro category, Kanazawa, Japan (2018).

  • Guest Editor Journal of Astronomy and Astrophysics (Springer & IAS)

  • Editorial Board Member of Physica Scripta (IOP) and Discover Space (Springer Nature)

International Collaboration/Consultancy
  • BRICS Alumni Network among researchers of BRICS Nations.
  • Mei-Chiang Fok, NASA Space Godard Flight Centre, USA
  • KU Leuven, Belgium
  • Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia 
Best Peer Reviewed Publications

  1. Rayleigh-Taylor instability in non-uniform magnetized rotating strongly coupled viscoelastic fluid, R. P. Prajapati, Physics of Plasmas 23, 022106 (2016). 

  2. Jeans instability in collisional strongly coupled dusty plasma with radiative condensation and polarization force, R. P. Prajapati, S. Bhakta and R. K. Chhajlani, Physics of Plasmas 23, 053703 (2016). 

  3. Small amplitude waves and linear firehose and mirror instabilities in rotating polytropic quantum plasma, S. Bhakta and R. P. Prajapati, Physics of Plasmas 24, 082113 (2017). 

  4. Rayleigh-Taylor instability and internal waves in strongly coupled quantum plasma, Bivash Dolai and R. P. Prajapati, Physics of Plasmas 24, 112101 (2017).

  5. Influence of neutrino beam on the Jeans instability in a magnetized quantum plasma, R. P. Prajapati, Physics of Plasmas 24, 122902 (2017). 

  6. Effects of dust charge gradient and polarization forces on the waves and Jean instability in strongly coupled dusty plasma, Bivash Dolai and R. P. Prajapati Physics Letters A 384, 126462 (2020). 

  7. Radiation pressure-driven Rayleigh-Taylor instability in compressible strongly magnetized ultra-relativistic degenerate plasmas, R. Bhambhu and R. P. Prajapati, Physics of plasmas 31, 082708 (2024). 

  8. Wave modes and gravitational instability in degenerate quantum plasmas including radiation pressure and viscoelastic effects, R. Bhambhu, J. Turi and R. P. Prajapati, Eur. Phys. Jour. Plus 140, 400 (2025). 

  9. Modified dynamics of dust Coulomb waves due to polarization force in gravitating viscoelastic fluid, Deepak and R. P. Prajapati, Physics Letters A 553, 130697 (2025).

  10. The impact of intrinsic magnetization and Ohmic diffusion on Jeans instability in strongly magnetized anisotropic quantum plasmas, V. K. Sangwan, R. Bhambhu and R. P. Prajapati, Journal of Plasma Physics 91, E107 (2025). 

  11. The temperature gradient driven Rayleigh-Taylor instability in thermally diffusive strongly coupled quantum fluids, V. K. Sangwan and R. P. Prajapati, Physics Letters A 553, 130869 (2025). 

  12. Non-ideal magnetohydrodynamic effects on cosmic rays-driven thermal instability in self-gravitating astrophysical plasmas, P. Boro and R. P. Prajapati, Physics Letters A 592, 131933 (2026). 

Recent Peer Reviewed Journals/Books

  1. Gravitational instability in radiative molecular clouds including cosmic ray diffusion and ion Larmor radius corrections, R. P. Prajapati, Month. Not. Roy. Astron. Soc, 510, 2127 (2022). 

  2. Dissipation of hydromagnetic waves in the viscous polytropic zone of the solar wind including FLR corrections, ohmic diffusion and the Hall effect, R. P. Prajapati, E. T. Desta, Mei-Ching Fok and T. H. Eritro, Month. Not. Roy. Astron. Soc, 510, 2127 (2022).

  3. Cosmic ray-driven magnetohydrodynamic waves in magnetized self-gravitating dusty molecular clouds, Pallab Boro and R. P. Prajapati, Month. Not. Roy. Astron. Soc, 522, 1752 (2023). 

  4. Rayleigh-Taylor instability in compressible ultra-relativistic degenerate strongly coupled plasma, R. Bhambhu and R. P. Prajapati, Physics of Plasmas 30, 042114 (2023). 

  5. Wave modes and instabilities in gravitating magnetized polytropic quantum plasmas including viscosity tensor and FLR corrections, Vinesh K. Sangwan and R. P. Prajapati, Month. Not. Roy. Astron. Soc. 525, 1 (2023). 

  6. Suprathermal corrections on galactic cosmic ray driven MHD waves and gravitational instability in astrophysical plasmas, Pallab Boro and R. P. Prajapati, Physics of Fluids 36, 114113 (2024).

  7. Kinetic and fluid descriptions of Jeans instability in kappa-distributed suprathermal astrophysical plasmas, P. Dalal and R. P. Prajapati, Physical Review E, 113, 065208 (2026). 

  8. Anisotropic cosmic-ray diffusion and the pressure anisotropy-driven firehose and gravitational instabilities in polytropic astrophysical plasmas, P. Boro and R. P. Prajapati, The Astrophysical Journal, 1007, 164 (2026). 

  9. Influence of Coulomb screening on wave dynamics and Jeans instability in high-density magnetized dusty plasmas, Deepak and R. P. Prajapati, Physics of Plasmas 33, 083701 (2026).