Observational Evidence of r-process Enrichment in the Galaxy

The r-process can be observationally traced in different ways, either directly by finding and following transient events like kilonovae, or indirectly studying meteorites or low-mass stars as these generally preserve the chemical composition they were born with. This makes them excellent r-process tracers and the r-process is responsible for forming half of the known heavy elements. Analysing spectra of old, low-mass stars provides chemical detail of r-process elements over a long time reaching from the descendants of the first stars up until today. In this talk, I will highlight possible bonafide second generation stars, their chemical peculiarities, and following trace the evolution of the r-process and possible sites (compact mergers vs rare supernovae) in the grand scheme of Galactic chemical evolution.