The rise of the first stars: Supersonic streaming, radiative feedback, and 21-cm cosmology
Résumé
Understanding the formation and evolution of the first stars and galaxies represents one of the most exciting frontiers in astronomy. Since the universe was filled with hydrogen atoms at early times, the most promising method for observing the epoch of the first stars is to use the prominent 21-cm spectral line of hydrogen. Current observational efforts are focused on the cosmic reionization era, but observations of the pre-reionization cosmic dawn are also beginning and promise exciting discoveries. While observationally unexplored, theoretical studies predict a rich variety of observational signatures from the astrophysics of the early galaxies that formed during cosmic dawn. As the first stars formed, their radiation (plus that from stellar remnants) produced feedback that radically affected both the intergalactic medium and the character of newly-forming stars.