  While it is now known that double neutron star binary systems (DNSs) are
copious producers of heavy elements, there remains much speculation about
whether they are the sole or even principal site of rapid neutron-capture
(r-process) nucleosynthesis, one of the primary ways in which heavy elements
are produced. The occurrence rates, delay times, and galactic environments of
DNSs hold sway over estimating their total contribution to the elemental
abundances in the Solar system and the Galaxy. Furthermore, the expected
elemental yield for DNSs may depend on the merger parameters themselves -- such
as their stellar masses and radii -- which is not currently considered in many
galactic chemical evolution models. Using the characteristics of the observed
sample of DNSs in the Milky Way as a guide, we predict the expected
nucleosynthetic yields that a population of DNSs would produce upon merger, and
we compare that nucleosynthetic signature to the heavy-element abundance
pattern of the Solar system elements. We find that with our current models, the
present DNS population favors production of the lighter r-process elements,
while underproducing the heaviest elements relative to the Solar system. This
inconsistency could imply an additional site for the heaviest elements or a
population of DNSs much different from that observed today.
