Rp-process Nucleosynthesis in X-ray Bursts

The rapid proton-capture process (rp-process) responsible for energy generation and nucleosynthesis in various astrophysical systems, will be discussed, specifically as it relates to periodic Type I X-ray bursts observed in some accreting neutron star binary systems. The timeline and characteristic dependencies of this bursting behavior will be considered, including a close examination of the nuclear physics inputs and how they are determined, both theoretically and experimentally. Simulations used to compare current models to astrophysical observations will also be discussed, as well as novel observatories and a small selection of observations, some well understood and others unexplained by current theory.