Related papers: Helium diffusion during formation of the first gal…
We explore how inflationary features shape the early stages of cosmic structure formation. Using the transfer function formalism, we trace the evolution of primordial perturbations, showing how causal physics and oscillatory signatures from…
In two previous papers, we presented simulations of the first galaxies in a representative volume of the Universe. The simulations are unique because we model feedback-regulated galaxy formation, using time-dependent,…
The first generation of protogalaxies likely formed out of primordial gas via H2-cooling in cosmological minihalos with virial temperatures of a few 1000K. However, their abundance is likely to have been severely limited by feedback…
Current numerical studies suggest that the first galaxies formed a few stars at a time and were enriched only gradually by the first heavy elements. However, the large box sizes in these models cannot resolve primordial supernova explosions…
A prediction of standard inflationary cosmology is that the elemental composition of the medium out of which the earliest stars and galaxies condensed consisted primarily of hydrogen and helium 4He with small admixtures of deuterium,…
Observational measures of the primordial helium mass fraction, $Y_{\rm P}$, are of interest for cosmology and fundamental particle physics. Current measures obtained from H II regions agree with the Standard Model prediction to…
To understand the Universe a highly accurate ($\sim$1%) primordial helium abundance (Yp) determination plays an important role; it is extremely important to constrain: Big Bang Nucleosynthesis models, elementary particle physics, and the…
We study the formation and destruction of the first molecules at the epochs of the Dark Ages and Cosmic Dawn to evaluate the luminosity of the protogalaxy clumps (halos) in the molecular lines. The cosmological recombination is described…
We present high-resolution simulations of the first star-forming clouds in 15 minihalos with masses ranging from $\sim 10^5$ to $10^7\ \text{M}_{\odot}$ at redshifts $z \sim 17-20$, using the GIZMO code. Our simulations incorporate detailed…
It has recently been suggested that galaxies in the early Universe can grow through the accretion of cold gas, and that this may have been the main driver of star formation and stellar mass growth. Because the cold gas is essentially…
To constrain the nature of the very first stars, we investigate the collapse and fragmentation of primordial, metal-free gas clouds. We explore the physics of primordial star formation by means of three-dimensional simulations of the dark…
We investigate the effects of element diffusion on the structure and evolution of low-mass helium white dwarfs (WD). Attention is focused on the occurrence of hydrogen shell flashes induced by diffusion processes during cooling phases.…
Depending on the topology of the magnetic field and characteristics of turbulent motions, diffusion can significantly affect the distribution of elements, in particular helium, in the intracluster medium (ICM). As has been noted previously,…
We discuss the accuracy of the abundance determinations of H II regions in our Galaxy and other galaxies. We focus on the main observational constraints derived from abundance determinations that have implications for models of galactic…
Thermal regime of the baryons behind shock waves arising in the process of virialization of dark matter halos is governed at cetrain conditions by radiation of HD lines. A small fraction of the shocked gas can cool down to the temperature…
We study the effects of WIMP dark matter (DM) annihilations on the thermal and chemical evolution of the gaseous clouds where the first generation of stars in the Universe is formed. We follow the collapse of the gas inside a typical halo…
In cosmological models favored by current observations, the first astrophysical objects formed in dark matter halos at redshifts starting at z>20, and their properties were determined by primordial H_2 molecular chemistry. These…
We investigate the interactions of high-redshift galaxy outflows with low-mass virialized (Tvir < 10,000K) clouds of primordial composition. While atomic cooling allows star formation in larger primordial objects, such "minihalos" are…
Estimates of the deuterium abundance in quasar absorbers are reviewed, including a brief account of incorrect claims published by the author and a brief review of the problem of hydrogen contamination. It is concluded that the primordial…
Black holes formed in the early universe, prior to the formation of stars, can exist as dark matter and also contribute to the black hole merger events observed in gravitational waves. We set a new limit on the abundance of primordial black…