Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics – Cosmology and Extragalactic Astrophysics
Scientific paper
2011-01-20
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
Cosmology and Extragalactic Astrophysics
49 pages, 19 figures, submitted to Reviews of Modern Physics. Comments and requests for missing references are welcome
Scientific paper
The emergence of the first sources of light at redshifts of z ~ 10-30 signaled the transition from the simple initial state of the Universe to one of increasing complexity. We review recent progress in our understanding of the formation of the first stars and galaxies, starting with cosmological initial conditions, primordial gas cooling, and subsequent collapse and fragmentation. We emphasize the important open question of how the pristine gas was enriched with heavy chemical elements in the wake of the first supernovae. We conclude by discussing how the chemical abundance patterns conceivably allow us to probe the properties of the first stars and subsequent stellar generations, and allow us to test models of early metal enrichment.
Bland-Hawthorn Joss
Bromm Volker
Karlsson Torgny
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