Dark matter and the first stars: a new phase of stellar evolution
Astrophysics
2009-06-23 v2 High Energy Physics - Phenomenology
High Energy Physics - Theory
Abstract
A mechanism is identified whereby dark matter (DM) in protostellar halos dramatically alters the current theoretical framework for the formation of the first stars. Heat from neutralino DM annihilation is shown to overwhelm any cooling mechanism, consequently impeding the star formation process and possibly leading to a new stellar phase. A "dark star'' may result: a giant ( AU) hydrogen-helium star powered by DM annihilation instead of nuclear fusion. Observational consequences are discussed.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.0705.0521,
title = {Dark matter and the first stars: a new phase of stellar evolution},
author = {Douglas Spolyar and Katherine Freese and Paolo Gondolo},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:0705.0521},
year = {2009}
}
Comments
5 pages, 2 figures; replaced with accepted version