Using Gravitational-wave Observations to Estimate the Contribution of Binary Neutron Star Mergers to R-process Enrichment

R-process element production from binary neutron star(BNS) mergers has been strongly supported by multi-messenger observations and evidence from GW170817. Astrophysical and nuclear experiment observations also inform the neutron star equation of state, which is used to predict the ejecta produced by these events; the amount predicted by simulations depends on the mass-radius relationship of neutron stars. As gravitational-wave observations continue, updated information about merger rates can be used in models that predict the contribution of mergers to r-process material within the Milky Way. For example, the compact binary coalescence(CBC) population release containing the mass gap event GW230529 also suggests updated constraints to the inferred masses and rates of BNSs. In this work, we explore varying both the population model and the equation of state assumptions, to find the relative impact on the astrophysically-inferred contribution of binary neutron star mergers to r-process enrichment.