Related papers: Finding the First Cosmic Explosions I: Pair-Instab…
Recent theory predicts that a first star is born with a massive initial mass of $\gtrsim$ 100 $M_\odot$. Pair instability supernova (PISN) is a common fate for such a massive star. Our final goal is to prove the existence of PISN and thus…
The first stars continue to elude modern telescopes, but much has been accomplished in observing the glow of the first galaxies. As detection capabilities improve we will eventually resolve these galaxies, but hopes of observing an…
The first stars in the history of the Universe are likely to form in the dense central regions of 10^5-10^6 Msolar cold dark matter halos at z=10-50. The annihilation of dark matter particles in these environments may lead to the formation…
Gravitational waves (GWs) provide a revolutionary tool to investigate yet unobserved astrophysical objects. Especially the first stars, which are believed to be more massive than present-day stars, might be indirectly observable via the…
The first generation of stars was formed from primordial gas. Numerical simulations suggest that the first stars were predominantly very massive, with typical masses M > 100 Mo. These stars were responsible for the reionization of the…
We investigate the possibility of a supernova in supermassive ($5 \times 10^4 \;M_\odot$) population III stars induced by a general relativistic instability occurring in the helium burning phase. This explosion could occur via rapid helium…
How and when did the first generation of stars form at the end of the cosmic dark ages? Quite generically, within variants of the cold dark matter model of cosmological structure formation, the first sources of light are expected to form in…
We present new evolutionary models of primordial very massive stars, with initial masses ranging from $100\,\mathrm{{M}_{\odot}}$ to $1000\,\mathrm{{M}_{\odot}}$, that extend from the main sequence until the onset of dynamical instability…
The first stars were likely more massive than those forming today and thus rapidly evolved, exploding as supernovae and enriching the surrounding gas with their chemical products. In the Local Group, the chemical signature of the first…
The first stars were born from chemically pristine gas. They were likely massive, and thus they rapidly exploded as supernovae, enriching the surrounding gas with the first heavy elements. In the Local Group, the chemical signatures of the…
The first stars form in dark matter halos of masses ~10^6 M_sun as suggested by an increasing number of numerical simulations. Radiation feedback from these stars expels most of the gas from their shallow potential well of their surrounding…
We model early star forming regions and their chemical enrichment by Population III (Pop III) supernovae with nucleosynthetic yields featuring high [C/Fe] ratios and pair-instability supernova (PISN) signatures. We aim to test how well…
Using three-dimensional cosmological simulations, we study the assembly process of one of the first galaxies, with a total mass of 10^8 M_sun, collapsing at z = 10. Our main goal is to trace the transport of the heavy chemical elements…
The primary concern of this thesis is to understand the formation and properties of the first galaxies, as well as the influence of the first stars in terms of radiative, mechanical and chemical feedback. In particular, we elucidate the…
We consider the feasibility of detecting Population III pair-instability supernovae (PISN) at very high redshifts with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). Four published estimates for the PISNe rate show a rather wide dispersion, between…
Massive Pop III stars can die as energetic supernovae that enrich the early universe with metals and determine the properties of the first galaxies. With masses of about $10^9$ Msun at $z \gtrsim 10$, these galaxies are believed to be the…
Very massive stars are radiation pressure dominated. Before running out of viable nuclear fuel, they can reach a thermodynamic state where electron-positron pair-production robs them of radiation support, triggering their collapse.…
We discuss some aspects concerning the formation and the impact of the first luminous structures in the universe (PopIIIs), with particular emphasis on their feedback effects on subsequent galaxy formation. We argue that supernovae in these…
The first stars in the universe are thought to be massive, forming in dark matter halos with masses around 10^6 solar masses. Recent simulations suggest that these metal-free (Population III) stars may form in binary or multiple systems.…
Observing the first generation of Population III (Pop III) stars is one of the most demanding challenges in astronomy. Indeed, Pop III stars are expected to predominantly form within faint minihalos at early times with a top-heavy initial…