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| Paper: |
The First Stars: Disk Formation and Fragmentation |
| Volume: |
419, Galaxy Evolution: Emerging Insights and Future Challenges |
| Page: |
339 |
| Authors: |
Stacy, A.; Greif, T. H.; Bromm, V. |
| Abstract: |
Protostellar accretion in the early universe and its associated physical processes determined the final masses that were reached by the first stars. The masses of the first stars, in turn, played an important role in determining to what extent the first stars drove early cosmic evolution. We present the results of a continuing study of protostellar accretion at high redshift. These studies were performed using Gadget, a widely-tested three dimensional smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) code. We performed cosmological simulations starting from z∼100 until the formation of the first minihalo. The mass resolution was then increased, and the evolution of the minihalo was followed up to densities of 1012 cm-3. At this point accretion onto the central high density peak, which corresponds to the first protostar, was studied for the following 5000 years. During this 5000-year time period a disk forms around the first protostar, and within this disk several other lower-mass protostars form. The current results represent the no-feedback limit of protostellar accretion onto a star that has formed in an environment uninfluenced by any previous stellar generation. This work, as well as further simulations which will include prescriptions for protostellar feedback, will lead to a much improved determination of the accretion rate and its evolution over the life of the protostar as well as the typical mass of the first stars. |
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