Related papers: Element Diffusion During Cosmological Structure Fo…
Metals -- heavy elements synthesized during various phases of stellar evolution or during supernova explosions -- play a fundamental role in shaping galaxy evolution. In fact, their relative abundances, spatial distribution, and scaling…
As a result of internal processes or environmental effects like ram-pressure stripping or collisions, galaxies lose a significant part of their stellar and gaseous content. Whereas the impact of such stripping on galaxy evolution has been…
Emission lines in X-ray spectra of clusters of galaxies reveal the presence of heavy elements in the diffuse hot plasma (ICM) in virial equilibrium in the dark matter potential well. Thanks to the X-ray satellites Chandra and XMM-Newton we…
Cosmic background radiation, both diffuse and discrete in nature, produced at different cosmic epochs before and after recombination, provides key information on the evolution of cosmic structures. We discuss the main classes of sources…
The Cosmic Dark Ages mark a pivotal era of the universe's evolution, transitioning from a neutral, opaque medium to the emergence of the first stars and galaxies that initiated cosmic reionization. This study examines the thermodynamics of…
Understanding the origins and distribution of matter in the Universe is one of the most important quests in physics and astronomy. Themes range from astro-particle physics to chemical evolution in the Galaxy to cosmic nucleosynthesis and…
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…
The mechanisms which could lead to chemo-thermal instabilities and fragmentation during the formation of primordial protostars are investigated analytically. We introduce approximations for H2 cooling rates bridging the optically thin and…
It is usually assumed that relic neutrinos possess a Fermi-Dirac distribution, acquired during thermal equilibrium in the Early Universe. However, various mechanisms could introduce strong distortions in this distribution. We perform a…
Recent years have seen major advances in understanding the state of the intergalactic medium (IGM) at high redshift. Some aspects of this understanding are reviewed here. In particular, we discuss: (1) Different probes of IGM like…
The progressive mixing and contamination of interstellar gas by supernovae and other processes following the passage of a spiral density wave is reviewed, with an emphasis on the Solar neighborhood. Regions of star formation should begin…
We study the formation and evolution of HII regions around the first stars formed at z=10-30. We use a one-dimensional Lagrangian hydrodynamics code which self-consistently incorporates radiative transfer and non-equilibrium primordial gas…
To constrain the properties of the first stars with the chemical abundance patterns observed in metal-poor stars, one must identify any non-trivial effects that the hydrodynamics of metal dispersal can imprint on the abundances. We use…
Diffusion in coulomb crystals can be important for the structure of neutron star crusts. We determine diffusion constants $D$ from molecular dynamics simulations. We find that $D$ for coulomb crystals with relatively soft-core $1/r$…
We present predictions for the reionization of the intergalactic medium by stars in high-redshift galaxies. We calculate ionizing luminosities of galaxies, including the effects of absorption by interstellar gas and dust on the escape…
The interaction of galaxies with their environment, the Intergalactic Medium (IGM), is an important aspect of galaxy formation. One of the most fundamental, but unanswered questions in the evolution of galaxies is how gas circulates in and…
Using a large set of high resolution numerical simulations incorporating non-equilibrium molecular hydrogen chemistry and a constant source of external radiation, we study gas collapse in previously photo-ionized mini-galaxies with virial…
Observations give evidences of the presence of metals in the intergalactic medium (IGM). The stars responsible for transforming hydrogen and helium into more complex atoms do not form outside the galaxies in the standard scenario of galaxy…
Interstellar space is filled with a dilute mixture of charged particles, atoms, molecules and dust grains, called the interstellar medium (ISM). Understanding its physical properties and dynamical behavior is of pivotal importance to many…
This thesis investigates the Epoch of Cosmic Reionization (EoR), a key period in the early Universe when the first luminous sources formed and their radiation transformed the intergalactic medium (IGM) from neutral to ionized. Understanding…