Tan Ahn

Research Interests

Atomic nuclei and their properties are determined by the individual protons and neutrons that make up the nucleus and the interactions between then. These ingredients result in a vast and diverse array of phenomena at the femto-scale. My research interest is in studying the emergent properties of nuclei and their implications in reactions and nucleosynthesis. Our experiments use radioactive-ion beams in conjunction with active-target detectors. This technique allows for the study of unstable nuclei that are otherwise experimentally inaccessible.

My research interests fall into three areas: 1) Cluster structure of nuclei; How and in what conditions do clusters form in light nuclei? 2) Testing ab-initio nuclear theory; Can we experimentally constrain ab-initio theory to gain insight into nuclear structure and its associated phenomena? 3) Development of active-target techniques; How can we optimize our experimental techniques to take full advantage of radioactive-ion beams? To answer these questions, I perform experiments using radioactive beams available at Notre Dame and national user facilities.