  Nuclear beta decay rates are an essential ingredient in simulations of the
astrophysical r-process. Most of these rates still rely on theoretical
modeling. However, modern radioactive ion-beam facilities have allowed to
measure beta half lives of some nuclei on or close to the r-process path. These
data indicate that r-process half lives are in general shorter than anticipated
in the standard theoretical predictions based on the Finite Range Droplet Model
(FRDM). The data have also served as important constraints for improved
predictions of half lives based on continuum QRPA calculations on top of the
energy-density functional theory. Although these calculations are yet limited
to spherical nuclei, they include the important r-process waiting point nuclei
close to and at the neutron magic numbers $N=50, 82$ and 126. We have studied
the impact of these new experimental and theoretical half lives on r-process
nucleosynthesis within the two astrophysical sites currently favored for the r
process: the neutrino-driven wind from the freshly born neutron star in a
supernova explosion and the ejecta of the merger of two neutron stars. We find
that the, in general, shorter beta decay rates have several important effects
on the dynamics of r-process nucleosynthesis. At first, the matter flow
overcomes the waiting point nuclei faster enhancing matter transport to heavier
nuclei. Secondly, the shorter half lives result also in a faster consumption of
neutrons resulting in important changes of the conditions at freeze-out with
consequences for the final r-process abundances. Besides these global effects
on the r-process dynamics, the new half lives also lead to some local changes
in the abundance distributions.
