2005/08/15 by Evan Scannapieco, Andrea Ferrara, Alexander Heger +3
Physics and Astronomy · #Astronomy and Astrophysical Research #Cosmology #Gamma-ray bursts and supernovae #Instability #Redshift #Star formation #Stars #Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies #Supernova #Universe #astro-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1016/j.newar.2005.11.009
published as New Astron.Rev.50:89-93,2006 · 10 pages, 4 figures, to appear in proceedings of UC Irvine May 2005 workshop on "First Light & Reionization"
arxiv created 2005/08/15 · openalex publication_date 2005/12/19 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
We study the detectability of primordial metal-free stars. Cosmological enrichment is a local process that takes place over an extended redshift range. While the duration of this transition depends on several unknown factors, in all cases late-forming metal-free stars are found in ~ 108 solar mass objects, which are just large enough to cool, but small enough to not be clustered near areas of previous star formation. We discuss the observational properties of these objects, some of which may have already been detected in ongoing Lyman-alpha surveys. If metal-free stars have masses between 140 and 260 solar masses, they are expected to end their lives as pair-production supernovae (PPSNe). Using the KEPLER code, we calculate a set of light curves for these objects. The peak luminosities of typical PPSNe are only slightly greater than those of Type Ia supernovae, but they remain bright much longer (~ 1 year) and have hydrogen lines. Ongoing supernova searches are able to place stringent limits on the fraction of very massive stars out to redshift 2. The planned Joint Dark Energy Mission satellite will be able to extend these constraints out to redshift 6