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Merging neutron stars produce "kilonovae"---electromagnetic transientspowered by the decay of unstable nuclei synthesized via rapid neutron capture(the r-process) in material that is gravitationally unbound during inspiral andcoalescence. Kilonova emission, if accurately interpreted, can be used tocharacterize the masses and compositions of merger-driven outflows, helping toresolve a long-standing debate about the origins of r-process material in theUniverse. We explore how the uncertain properties of nuclei involved in ther-process complicate the inference of outflow properties from kilonovaobservations. Using r-process simulations, we show how nuclear physicsuncertainties impact predictions of radioactive heating and element synthesis.For a set of models that span a large range in both predicted heating and finalabundances, we carry out detailed numerical calculations of decay productthermalization and radiation transport in a kilonova ejecta with a fixed massand density profile. The light curves associated with our models exhibit greatdiversity in their luminosities, with peak brightness varying by more than anorder of magnitude. We also find variability in the shape of the kilonova lightcurves and their color, which in some cases runs counter to the expectationthat increasing levels of lanthanide and/or actinide enrichment will becorrelated with longer, dimmer, redder emission.

Kilonovae across the nuclear physics landscape: The impact of nuclear physics uncertainties on r-process-powered emission