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Formation of the First Galaxies: Theory and Simulations

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The First Galaxies

Part of the book series: Astrophysics and Space Science Library ((ASSL,volume 396))

Abstract

The properties of the first galaxies are shaped in large part by the first generations of stars, which emit high energy radiation and unleash both large amounts of mechanical energy and the first heavy elements when they explode as supernovae. We survey the theory of the formation of the first galaxies in this context, focusing on the results of cosmological simulations to illustrate a number of the key processes that define their properties. We first discuss the evolution of the primordial gas as it is incorporated into the earliest galaxies under the influence of the high energy radiation emitted by the earliest stars; we then turn to consider how the injection of heavy elements by the first supernovae transforms the evolution of the primordial gas and alters the character of the first galaxies. Finally, we discuss the prospects for the detection of the first galaxies by future observational missions, in particular focusing on the possibility that primordial star-forming galaxies may be uncovered.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Note that this formula is derived assuming a standard CDM cosmological model in which h \(\simeq \) 0.7 (see e.g. Barkana and Loeb 2001); as such, this formula is valid at the high redshifts (i.e. z > > 1) at which the first galaxies form, but must be modified at lower redshifts in order to account for a cosmological constant \(\Lambda \).

  2. 2.

    Because the primordial gas can cool via emission from atomic hydrogen and collapse into halos with \({T}_{\mathrm{vir}}\,\sim \,1{0}^{4}\) K, such halos are commonly referred to as ‘atomic cooling’ halos.

  3. 3.

    We use the common term “metals” to refer to elements heavier than helium which are produced in stars and supernovae.

  4. 4.

    Due to infrequent particle collisions at low densities, the rate of radiative deexcitations can exceed that of collisional deexcitations, leading to non-LTE level populations (see Sect. 3.3).

  5. 5.

    As H +  is also referred to as H ii, such photoionized regions formed around stars are called H ii regions. Likewise, the radiation from massive stars, and especially massive Pop III stars, can doubly ionize helium within the so-called He iii region (see Sect. 4).

  6. 6.

    Before the adoption of this terminology, Pop III.2 was formerly referred to as Pop II.5 in the literature (e.g. Mackey et al. 2003; Johnson and Bromm 2006).

  7. 7.

    While for simplicity we limit our discussion to the photodissociation of H\({}_{\mathrm{2}}\), HD molecules are also destroyed via this mechanism.

  8. 8.

    It is important to note that the spectrum of the radiation producing the LW background must also be taken into account. While the results shown in Fig. 8 are derived under the assumption that the LW background is generated by stars with an effective surface temperature of 104 K, appropriate for Pop II stars, higher levels of the LW flux are required to suppress H\({}_{\mathrm{2}}\) formation if, for instance, it is generated by massive Pop III stars with effective surface temperatures of \(\simeq \)105 K (see e.g. Shang et al. 2010).

  9. 9.

    Here we use the common notation for abundance ratios relative to those of the sun given by [X/Y]  = log\({}_{\mathrm{10}}\)(\({N}_{\mathrm{X}}\)/\({N}_{\mathrm{Y}}\)) − log\({}_{\mathrm{10}}\) (\({N}_{\mathrm{X}}\)/\({N}_{\mathrm{Y}}\))\({}_{\odot }\), where \({N}_{\mathrm{X}}\) and \({N}_{\mathrm{Y}}\) are the numbers of nuclei of elements X and Y, respectively.

  10. 10.

    As the cooling rates of the various atomic species each contribute separately to the total cooling rate, it is the combination of their individual abundances which determines whether the “critical metallicity” is achieved (see e.g. Frebel et al. 2007).

  11. 11.

    While photons are also emitted in transitions to the n = 1 state, the IGM is optically thick to these photons before reionization due to absorption by neutral hydrogen, and so they are not expected to be observable from the first galaxies.

  12. 12.

    It is also likely that other, complementary next generation facilities, such as the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (e.g. Combes 2010), will detect only metal-enriched star-forming galaxies.

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Acknowledgements

The author is grateful to the editors for the invitation to contribute this Chapter, as well as to Bhaskar Agarwal, Volker Bromm, Umberto Maio, and Eyal Neistein for helpful comments on an earlier draft of this work.

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Johnson, J.L. (2013). Formation of the First Galaxies: Theory and Simulations. In: Wiklind, T., Mobasher, B., Bromm, V. (eds) The First Galaxies. Astrophysics and Space Science Library, vol 396. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-32362-1_4

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