Related papers: Mass Limits to Primordial Star Formation from Prot…
Cosmic structure originated from minute density perturbations in an almost homogeneous universe. The first stars are believed to be very massive and luminous, providing the first ionizing radiation and heavy elements to the universe and…
We describe results from a fully self-consistent three dimensional hydrodynamical simulation of the formation of one of the first stars in the Universe. Dark matter dominated pre-galactic objects form because of gravitational instability…
We examine self-consistent parameterizations of the high-mass stellar population and resulting feedback, including mechanical, radiative, and chemical feedback, as we understand them locally. To date, it appears that the massive star…
We present a model for the evolution of supermassive protostars from their formation at $M_\star \simeq 0.1\,\text{M}_\odot$ until their growth to $M_\star \simeq 10^5\,\text{M}_\odot$. To calculate the initial properties of the object in…
Massive stars influence their surroundings through radiation, winds, and supernova explosions far out of proportion to their small numbers. However, the physical processes that initiate and govern the birth of massive stars remain poorly…
In spite of decades of theoretical efforts, the physical origin of the stellar initial mass function (IMF) is still debated. Particularly crucial is the question of what sets the peak of the distribution. To investigate this issue we…
The pre-main-sequence evolution of low-mass stars and brown dwarfs is studied numerically starting from the formation of a protostellar/proto-brown dwarf seed and taking into account the mass accretion onto the central object during the…
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 analyse protostellar mass accretion rates from numerical models of star formation based on gravoturbulent fragmentation, considering a large number of different environments. To within one order of magnitude, the mass accretion rate is…
Firmly anchored on observational data, giant radio lobes from massive galaxies hosting supermassive black holes can exert a major negative feedback effect, by endowing the intergalactic gas with significant magnetic pressure hence retarding…
A star acquires much of its mass by accreting material from a disc. Accretion is probably not continuous but episodic. We have developed a method to include the effects of episodic accretion in simulations of star formation. Episodic…
Near-infrared surveys have now determined the luminosity functions of galaxies at 6<z<9 to impressive precision and identified a number of candidates at even earlier times. Here we develop a simple analytic model to describe these…
We present the results of cosmological hydrodynamic simulations with zoom-in initial conditions, and investigate the formation of the first galaxies and their evolution towards observable galaxies at $z \sim 6$. We focus on three different…
We investigate the effects of magnetic fields and radiative protostellar feedback on the star formation process using self-gravitating radiation magnetohydrodynamical calculations. We present results from a series of calculations of the…
Recent studies show the importance of feedback in the evolution of the star formation rate in the Universe. However, the nature and physics of the feedback are still pressing questions. Radio continuum observations can provide unique…
Galaxy growth depends critically on the interplay between radiative cooling of cosmic gas and the resulting energetic feedback that cooling triggers. This interplay has proven exceedingly difficult to model, even with large supercomputer…
Stars and their corresponding protoplanetary disks form in diverse environments. To account for these natural variations, we investigate the formation process around nine solar mass stars with a maximum resolution of 2 AU in a Giant…
We investigate the impact of massive primordial black holes (PBHs; $m_{\rm BH}\sim 10^6~M_{\odot}$) on the star formation and first galaxy assembly process using high-resolution hydrodynamical simulations from $z = 1100$ to $z \sim 9$. We…
Population III (Pop III) stars ended the cosmic Dark Ages and began early cosmological reionization and chemical enrichment. However, in spite of their importance to the evolution of the early Universe, their properties remain uncertain…
The physical mechanism that allows massive stars to form is a major unsolved problem in astrophysics. Stars with masses $\gtsim 20$ $\msun$ reach the main sequence while still embedded in their natal clouds, and the immense radiation output…