A New Look at the Earliest Stars: Understanding Population III Spectra
This study refines models of Population III (Pop III) stars, the first stars in the universe, using the GALSEVN framework. It confirms that strong helium emission can help identify Pop III stars but only within their first million years. The study also explores their role in cosmic reionization and predicts their impact on gravitational waves from binary black hole mergers. Future telescopes and detectors may soon provide evidence of these ancient stars.
Unveiling the First Stars: How Population III Stars Impact the 21cm Signal
Ventura et al. investigate how Population III stars influence the 21cm signal by using the meraxes semi-analytical model. They find that while Pop. III stars do not significantly alter reionization, their strong X-ray emissions heat the intergalactic medium at z ≥ 15, affecting the 21cm signal. Their simulations suggest that SKA1-low could detect these effects, potentially providing indirect evidence of the first stars in the universe.