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Abstract:
The rapid neutron capture process (r-process) is believed to be responsible for about
half of the production of the elements heavier than iron and contributes to abundances
of some lighter nuclides as well. A universal pattern of r-process element abundances
is observed in some metal-poor stars of the Galactic halo. This suggests that a wellregulated
combination of astrophysical conditions and nuclear physics conspires to
produce such a universal abundance pattern. The search for the astrophysical site
for r-process nucleosynthesis has stimulated interdisciplinary research for more than
six decades. There is currently much enthusiasm surrounding evidence for r-process
nucleosynthesis in binary neutron star mergers in the multi-wavelength follow-up observations
of kilonova/gravitational-wave GRB170807A/GW170817. Nevertheless, there
remain questions as to the contribution over the history of the Galaxy to the current
solar-system r-process abundances from other sites such as neutrino-driven winds or
magnetohydrodynamical ejection of material from core-collapse supernovae. In this
review we highlight some current issues surrounding the nuclear physics input, astronomical
observations, galactic chemical evolution, and theoretical simulations of
r process astrophysical environments with goal of outlining a path toward resolving
the remaining mysteries of the r-process.
