Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics
Scientific paper
2006-12-10
Astrophys.J.665:85-95,2007
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
29 pages, 7 figures; ApJ in press
Scientific paper
10.1086/519212
The formation of the first galaxies is influenced by the radiative feedback from the first generations of stars. This feedback is manisfested by the heating and ionization of the gas which lies within the H II regions surrounding the first stars, as well as by the photodissociation of hydrogen molecules within the larger Lyman-Werner (LW) bubbles that surround these sources. Using a ray-tracing method in three-dimensional cosmological simulations, we self-consistently track the formation of, and radiative feedback from, individual stars in the course of the formation of a protogalaxy. We compute in detail the H II regions of each of these sources, as well as the regions affected by their molecule-dissociating radiation. We follow the thermal, chemical, and dynamical evolution of the primordial gas, as it becomes incorporated into the protogalaxy. While the IGM is, in general, optically thick to LW photons only over physical distances of > 30 kpc at redshifts z < 20, the high molecule fraction that is built up in relic H II regions and their increasing volume-filling fraction renders even the local IGM optically thick to LW photons over physical distances of the order of a few kiloparsecs. We find that efficient accretion onto Population III relic black holes may occur after ~ 60 Myr from the time of their formation, by which time the photo-heated relic H II region gas can cool and re-collapse into the 10^6 M_solar minihalo which hosts the black hole. Also, Pop II.5 stars, postulated to have masses of the order of 10 M_solar, can likely form from this re-collapsing relic H II region gas. Overall, we find that the local radiative feedback from the first generations of stars suppresses the star formation rate by only a factor of, at most, a few.
Bromm Volker
Greif Thomas H.
Johnson Jarrett L.
No associations
LandOfFree
Local radiative feedback in the formation of the first protogalaxies does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.
If you have personal experience with Local radiative feedback in the formation of the first protogalaxies, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Local radiative feedback in the formation of the first protogalaxies will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-182571