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Half of the heaviest elements in the periodic table are synthesized in the rapid neutron-capture process (r-process), but the astrophysical origin of these elements has been debated for over 60 years. The current debate centers around whether r-process elements are mostly synthesized by neutron star mergers or rare core-collapse supernovae. The recent observation of a neutron star merger in both gravitational waves and electromagnetic radiation (GW170817 and its associated gamma ray burst/kilonova) did not resolve this debate, but it does emphasize the close connection between elemental abundances of stars and direct observations of astrophysical transients. In this talk, I will show two examples of how chemical abundances in metal-poor stars can be combined with observations of astrophysical transients to understand r-process nucleosynthesis. First, I will use abundance ratios in metal-poor stars to predict the expected composition of future kilonovae. Second, I will use long gamma ray bursts to motivate a new model for explaining r-process scatter in metal-poor stars. These examples highlight the importance of stellar spectroscopy in the upcoming era of multimessenger astronomy. |
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