Following the Turbulent Enrichment of the High-Redshift Universe

Arizona State University, Scottsdale AZ

Investigators

Abstract

All stars observed today are enriched with heavy elements (heavier than hydrogen or helium) made by previous stellar generations. This project will track the process of element enrichment using new and extremely accurate numerical techniques developed by the research team and shed new light on the stellar generation that first created carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and many of the other elements necessary for life. The research will be driven by graduate students, providing them with rigorous training in astronomy and computational physics. Furthermore, the results will be disseminated broadly through the presentation of public lectures, helping to engage a larger community in the excitement of astronomy and the ongoing search for the missing first generation of stars. To study the evolution of the first generation of heavy-element free (Population III, Pop III) stars, the research team has developed a unique, carefully tested subgrid mixing model that tracks three quantities: (i) the heavy elements generated by Pop III stars, (ii) the heavy elements generated by subsequent stellar populations, and (iii) the fraction of unpolluted gas. The project would build upon this capability to develop cosmological simulations that simultaneously model mixing, chemistry, and radiative transfer and to carry out a suite of such simulations that spans the unknown properties of Pop III stars. Working with observational experts, the team will apply these results to provide insights into how unknown Pop III properties can be constrained using metal-poor stars observed in the Milky Way and metal-poor galaxies observed at high-redshift. These predictions will not only help interpret current data but will also drive mission planning for the next generation of ground- and space-based telescopes.