Related papers: The Biggest Explosions in the Universe
Approximately two hundred supermassive black holes (SMBHs) have been discovered within the first $\sim$Gyr after the Big Bang. One pathway for the formation of SMBHs is through the collapse of supermassive stars (SMSs). A possible obstacle…
The first supernova explosions are potentially relevant sources for the production of the first large-scale magnetic fields. For this reason we present a set of high resolution simulations studying the effect of supernova explosions on…
We study the evolution of supernova (SN) remnants of the first stars, taking proper account of the radiative feedback of the progenitor stars on the surroundings. We carry out a series of one-dimensional hydrodynamic simulations with…
The formation of supermassive Population III stars with masses $\gtrsim$ 10,000 Msun in primeval galaxies in strong UV backgrounds at $z \sim$ 15 may be the most viable pathway to the formation of supermassive black holes by $z \sim$ 7.…
Light curves, explosion energies, and remnant masses are calculated for a grid of supernovae resulting from massive helium stars that have been evolved including mass loss. These presupernova stars should approximate the results of binary…
There is compelling evidence that supermassive black holes (SMBHs) exist. Yet the origin of these objects, or their seeds, is still unknown. We are performing general relativistic simulations of gravitational collapse to black holes in…
The assembly of supermassive black holes poses a challenge primarily because of observed quasars at high redshift, but additionally because of the current lack of observations of intermediate mass black holes. One plausible scenario for…
Supermassive stars forming at $z \sim$ 15 - 20 are one of the leading contenders for the origin of the first quasars, over 200 of which have now been discovered at $z >$ 6. These stars likely form in pristine, atomically cooled haloes…
We use cosmological hydrodynamic simulations with unprecedented resolution to study the formation of primordial stars in an ionized gas at high redshifts. Our approach includes all the relevant atomic and molecular physics to follow the…
Supernovae (SNe) are stellar explosions driven by gravitational or thermonuclear energy, observed as electromagnetic radiation emitted over weeks or more. In all known SNe, this radiation comes from internal energy deposited in the…
The existence of $\approx$10^9 Msun supermassive black holes (SMBHs) within the first billion year of the universe has stimulated numerous ideas for the prompt formation and rapid growth of BHs in the early universe. Here we review ways in…
Supernova explosions of massive stars are one of the primary sites for the production of the elements in the universe. Up to now, stars with zero-age main-sequence masses in the range of 35--50~$M_\odot$ had mostly been representing 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…
Supernovae (SNe), the luminous explosions of stars, were observed since antiquity, with typical peak luminosity not exceeding 1.2x10^{43} erg/s (absolute magnitude >-19.5 mag). It is only in the last dozen years that numerous examples of…
Primordial gas in protogalactic dark matter (DM) halos with virial temperatures Tvir > 10^4 K begins to cool and condense via atomic hydrogen. Provided this gas is irradiated by a strong ultraviolet (UV) flux and remains free of H2 and…
We studied the gravitational collapse of a warm (~8000 K) primordial-gas cloud as a candidate progenitor for a supermassive star (SMS; >10^5 Msun) using a three-dimensional hydrodynamical simulation, including all the relevant cooling…
Halos with masses in excess of the atomic limit are believed to be ideal environments in which to form heavy black hole seeds with masses above 10^3 Msun. In cases where the H_2 fraction is suppressed this is expected to lead to reduced…
Supermassive stars, with masses greater than a million solar masses, are possible progenitors of supermassive black holes in galactic nuclei. Because of their short nuclear burning timescales, such objects can be formed only when matter is…
Recent observations of quasars powered by supermassive black holes (SMBHs) out to z > 7 constrain both the initial seed masses and the growth of the most massive black holes (BHs) in the early universe. Here we elucidate the implications of…
The early Universe was composed almost entirely of hydrogen and helium, with only trace amounts of heavy elements. It was only after the first generation of star formation that the Universe became sufficiently polluted to produce a second…