The process of star formation is extremely complex and not
well understood. Modern star formation is affected by factors
such as heavy element chemistry, dust, magnetic fields, and
radiation, making the problem exceedingly complicated. In
contrast, the very first stars in the universe formed during far
simpler times: no elements other than hydrogen and helium (and a
tiny bit of deuterium and lithium), negligible magnetic fields, and
no external radiation, other than the cosmic microwave background.
In addition, the big bang and cold dark matter cosmology provide us
with an excellent handle on the initial conditions with which we are
able to begin trying to solve this problem with numerical
simulations.
In this seminar, we will read classic and current papers that deal
with a variety of topics relating to the first stars, including
theory and simulations of their formation, their unique
characteristics relative to stars observed today, their exotic fates,
their influence on structure formation and subsequent generations of
stars, and what we can learn about them from observations of the
local universe. For a complete list of papers covered, see
here.