Nuclear Astrophysics and Rare Isotopes

A new generation of rare isotope facilities will help define the nuclear physics of exotic astrophysical environments. The data -- nuclear masses and weak rates -- will reduce the microphysics uncertainties in astrophysical models, helping modelers gain better control over other parameters. I discuss several examples, with special emphasis on the r-process, where quantities of interest include the freezeout radius, dynamic timescale, and flavor physics affecting the ejecta of core-collapse supernovae.