Gravitational Waves Gamma Ray Bursts and Nucleosynthesis

On August 17 2017 a triple coincidence of a gravitational wave signal from merging neutron stars a short gamma ray burst and an optical transient with spectral signs of ultraheavy elements were all observed from the same direction in the sky This appears to confirm the hypothesis that merging neutron stars produce both short gamma ray bursts and r process elements in addition to gravitational waves A remarkable aspect of this discovery is that it didn t come as a complete surprise The history of the ideas that anticipated it is reviewed