R-PROCESS NUCLEOSYNTHESIS

About half of the elements in the universe heavier than iron are created via the rapid neutron capture process (the r-process). Over the recent years our understanding of the formation sites of these elements has rapidly evolved with exciting observations such as the discovery of an r-process powered electromagnetic counterpart of a binary neutron star merger detected through gravitational waves and the observation of r-process enhanced stars in some of the smallest satellite galaxies of the Milky Way. Binary neutron star mergers have emerged as a leading site for the origin of r-process elements, although many uncertainties and mysteries remain, such as the role of turbulent mixing (1) and the observed decline in deposition of r-process elements in the later stages of the Milky way's evolution (2). The next few years promise to bring big changes to our understanding of r-process formation in the Universe.