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Description
Matter expelled from binary neutron star (BNS) mergers can harbor r-process nucleosynthesis and power a Kilonova (KN), which represents a major EM counterpart to gravitational wave (GW) signals.
Both the elemental yields and the subsequent KN transient are intimately related to the astrophysical conditions of the merger ejecta, which in turn indirectly depend on the EOS describing the nuclear matter inside the NS.
In particular, the dynamical evolution of the merger is influenced by specific nuclear matter properties that characterize the EOS at nuclear saturation density.
In this study we consider the outcome of a set of BNS merger simulations employing different finite-temperature nuclear EOSs, obtained from Skyrme-type interaction models.
We thus follow the merger ejecta evolution using a nuclear reaction network coupled with a semi-analytic photon transport scheme.
The final elemental abundances and the associated early KN are found to be systematically influenced by the nuclear matter properties used to parametrize the EOS, specifically the incompressibility and the nucleon effective mass at saturation density.
The latter modify the pressure inside the NS and its slope as a function of density, with a non-trivial impact on the amount of each ejecta component.
