Series: Astronomy Colloquium
Date: Wednesday 13-Oct-2021
Time: 16:05-17:00 (4:05-5:00 pm)
Location: ATL 2400
Speaker: Dr. Mia Bovill (TCU)
Title: Ending the Cosmic Dark Ages: Exploring the First Stars with JWST
The first, Population III stars ignited several hundred million years after the Big Bang. While we know they formed from primordial metallicity gas in 10^5 - 10^7 solar mass dark matter halos, and are thought to be more massive than later generations of stars, their detailed properties remain unconstrained. Current unknowns include; when the first Pop III stars ignited, how massive they were, and when and how the era of the first stars ended. Investigating these questions requires a exploration of a multi-dimensional parameter space including, the slope of the Pop III stellar initial mass function (IMF), and the strength of the non-ionizing UV background. We have developed a novel model which treats these relative unknowns as true free parameters. Our simple model reproduces the results from hydrodynamic simulations, but with a computational efficiency which allows us to investigate the observable differences between a wide range of potential Pop III IMFs. The upcoming launch of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) provides us with a unprecedented opportunity to marry theoretical predictions to observations and determine the astrophysics which governs the formation of the first stars. Here we suggest constraining the masses of the first stars with JWST will require a multi-pronged approach. In addition to direct detection via gravitation lensing, this also includes understanding how the Pop III IMF affects observed rates of highly luminous pair instability supernova.
Colloquia for the Fall 2020 semester will be held on zoom. Contact Dr. Leslie Sage for details.
Colloquium Organizer:
Dr. Leslie Sage
Special accommodations for individuals with disabilities can be made by calling (301) 405-3001. It would be appreciated if we are notified at least one week in advance.
