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First Stars (first + star)

Distribution by Scientific Domains
Physics and Astronomy100%

Selected Abstracts

Constraints on the initial mass function of the first stars

MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 2 2006
Raffaella Schneider
ABSTRACT Motivated by theoretical predictions that the first stars were predominantly very massive, we investigate the physics of the transition from an early epoch dominated by massive Pop III stars to a later epoch dominated by familiar low-mass Pop II/I stars by means of a numerically generated catalogue of dark matter haloes coupled with a self-consistent treatment of chemical and radiative feedback. Depending on the strength of the chemical feedback, Pop III stars can contribute a substantial fraction (several per cent) of the cosmic star formation activity even at moderate redshifts, z, 5. We find that the three z, 10 sources tentatively detected in Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS) Ultra Deep Fields (UDFs) should be powered by Pop III stars, if these are massive; however, this scenario fails to reproduce the derived Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) electron scattering optical depth. Instead, both the UDFs and WMAP constraints can be fulfilled if stars at any time form with a more standard, slightly top-heavy, Larson initial mass function. [source]

Can non-Gaussian cosmological models explain the WMAP high optical depth for reionization?

MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 3 2003
Xuelei Chen
ABSTRACT The first-year Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe data suggest a high optical depth for Thomson scattering of 0.17 ± 0.04, implying that the Universe was reionized at an earlier epoch than previously expected. Such early reionization is likely to be caused by ultraviolet (UV) photons from first stars, but it appears that the observed high optical depth can be reconciled within the standard structure formation model only if star formation in the early Universe was extremely efficient. With normal star formation efficiencies, cosmological models with non-Gaussian density fluctuations may circumvent this conflict as high density peaks collapse at an earlier epoch than in models with Gaussian fluctuations. We study cosmic reionization in non-Gaussian models and explore to what extent, within available constraints, non-Gaussianities affect the reionization history. For mild non-Gaussian fluctuations at redshifts of 30 to 50, the increase in optical depth remains at a level of a few per cent and appears unlikely to aid significantly in explaining the measured high optical depth. On the other hand, within available observational constraints, increasing the non-Gaussian nature of density fluctuations can easily reproduce the optical depth and may remain viable in underlying models of non-Gaussianity with a scale-dependence. [source]

Helium pre-enrichment in the first stars

MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY: LETTERS (ELECTRONIC), Issue 1 2006
Leonid Chuzhoy
ABSTRACT We show that element diffusion can produce large fluctuations in the initial helium abundance of stars. Diffusion time-scale, which in stellar cores is much larger than the Hubble time, can fall below 108 yr in the neutral gas clouds of stellar mass, dominated by collisionless dark matter or with dynamically important radiation or magnetic pressure. Helium diffusion may therefore explain the recent observations of globular clusters, which are inconsistent with initially homogeneous helium distribution. [source]

Stellar archaeology: Exploring the Universe with metal-poor stars

ASTRONOMISCHE NACHRICHTEN, Issue 5 2010
A. Frebel
Abstract The abundance patterns of the most metal-poor stars in the Galactic halo and small dwarf galaxies provide us with a wealth of information about the early Universe. In particular, these old survivors allow us to study the nature of the first stars and supernovae, the relevant nucleosynthesis processes responsible for the formation and evolution of the elements, early star- and galaxy formation processes, as well as the assembly process of the stellar halo from dwarf galaxies a long time ago. This review presents the current state of the field of "stellar archaeology" , the diverse use of metal-poor stars to explore the high-redshift Universe and its constituents. In particular, the conditions for early star formation are discussed, how these ultimately led to a chemical evolution, and what the role of the most iron-poor stars is for learning about Population III supernovae yields. Rapid neutron-capture signatures found in metal-poor stars can be used to obtain stellar ages, but also to constrain this complex nucleosynthesis process with observational measurements. Moreover, chemical abundances of extremely metal-poor stars in different types of dwarf galaxies can be used to infer details on the formation scenario of the halo and the role of dwarf galaxies as Galactic building blocks. I conclude with an outlook as to where this field may be heading within the next decade. A table of ~ 1000 metal-poor stars and their abundances as collected from the literature is provided in electronic format (© 2010 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source]