Nuclear Uncertainties in r-Process Heavy Element Formation and Kilonova Modeling

The rapid neutron capture (r-) process is one of the main mechanisms whereby elements heavier than iron are synthesized, and is responsible for the natural production of the actinides. Multi-messenger observations of the binary neutron star, GW170817, provided the confirmation of lanthanide production in the merger ejecta. Efforts to accurately and reliably model elemental abundance yields and energy generation from these sites require significant input from nuclear physics models, which introduce large uncertainties. In this talk, I will discuss the use of theoretical models describing basic nuclear properties in nuclear reaction networks to identify key isotopes in neutron star merger ejecta.