Nuclear astrophysics using the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA gravitational-wave network*

The ground-based gravitational-wave detectors Advanced LIGO, Advanced Virgo, and KAGRA began their fourth observing run in May 2023, and currently plan to continue the observing run through 2024. In this talk, I will focus on observations of binary mergers involving neutron stars using this current-generation network. I will review potential implications for improving our understanding of the nuclear physics of stellar evolution, heavy element nucleosynthesis, and the equation of state of dense matter. I will discuss the network's sensitivity to different source classes, and assess what we can expect for neutron-star observations in the fourth observing run. I will explain the methods through which the LVK collaborations plan to use new signals to better understand nuclear astrophysics, and discuss what we will be able to learn from current- and near-future observations.