Related papers: Helium diffusion during formation of the first gal…
To place meaningful constraints on Big Bang Nucleosynthesis models, the primordial helium abundance determination is crucial. Low-metallicity HII regions have been used to estimate it since their statistical uncertainties are relatively…
Recent observations and modeling of globular clusters with multiple populations strongly indicate the presence of super helium-rich subpopulations in old stellar systems. Motivated by this, we have constructed new population synthesis…
We explore the impact of cosmic reionization on nearby isolated dwarf galaxies using a compilation of SFHs estimated from deep HST data and a cosmological hydrodynamical simulation of the Local Group. The nearby dwarfs show a wide diversity…
We investigate the effect of helium abundance and $\alpha$-element enhancement on the properties of convection in envelopes of solar-like main-sequence stars stars using a grid of 3D radiation hydrodynamic simulations. Helium abundance…
We review the expected properties of the first stellar generations in the Universe. In particular, we consider and discuss the diagnostics, based on the emission from associated HII regions, that permit one to discern bona fide primeval…
Some models of Big Bang nucleosynthesis suggest that very high baryon density regions were formed in the early Universe, and generated the production of heavy elements other than lithium such as fluorine F. We present a comprehensive…
We assess supernova (SN)-driven pregalactic outflows as a mechanism for distributing the product of stellar nucleosynthesis over large cosmological volumes prior to the reionization epoch. SN ejecta will escape the grasp of halos with…
We investigate the effect of inhomogeneity on primordial black hole formation in the matter dominated era. In the gravitational collapse of an inhomogeneous density distribution, a black hole forms if apparent horizon prevents information…
This paper investigates the effect of collisional enhancement of the hydrogen lines on the derivation of the helium abundances in low metallicity H II regions. For this, we have constructed a grid of photoionization models relevant for the…
The first galaxies in the Universe are the building blocks of all observed galaxies. We present scaling relations for galaxies forming at redshifts $z \ge 15$ when reionization is just beginning. We utilize the ``Rarepeak' cosmological…
We analyse the thermal emission and resonant scattering of CMB radiation from the dark ages halos in the rotational lines of the helium hydride ion (HeH$^{+}$), one of the first chemical compounds in the Universe. Evaluating the optical…
This paper explores the impact of primordial black holes (PBHs) on the abundance of low-mass haloes and subhaloes in the dark and low-stellar-mass regime, and examines how these effects can be measured through fluctuations in strong lensing…
The formation of the first generations of stars at redshifts z > 15-20 signaled the transition from the simple initial state of the universe to one of increasing complexity. We here review recent progress in understanding the assembly…
If Dark Matter (DM) is composed by Weakly Interacting Massive Particles, its annihilation in the halos harboring the earliest star formation episode may strongly influence the first generation of stars (Population III). Whereas DM…
Recent observations on the cosmic microwave background by Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe(WMAP) strongly suggest that the reionization of the universe took place quite early (z \sim 17). On the other hand, it has been pointed out that…
We report new observations of circumgalactic gas in the halos of early type galaxies obtained by the COS-Halos Survey with the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph onboard the Hubble Space Telescope. We find that detections of HI surrounding early…
Early galaxies were the radiation source for reionization, with the photoheating feedback from the reionization process expected to reduce the efficiency of star formation in low mass haloes. Hence, to fully understand reionization and…
The annihilation of new dark matter candidates with masses $m_X$ in the MeV range may account for the galactic positrons that are required to explain the 511 keV $\gamma$-ray flux from the galactic bulge. We study the impact of MeV-mass…
We complete the formulation of the standard model of first star formation by exploring the possible impact of $\mathrm{LiH}$ cooling, which has been neglected in previous simulations of non-linear collapse. Specifically, we find that at…
Recent evidence on the metal content of the high-redshift Lyman alpha forest seen in quasar spectra suggests that an early generation of galaxies enriched the intergalactic medium (IGM) at z ~ 5. We calculate the number of supernovae that…