THE CLUSTERING PROPERTIES OF THE FIRST GALAXIES
- Space Telescope Science Institute, 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218 (United States)
- University of Colorado, Center for Astrophysics and Space Astronomy, 389 UCB, Boulder, CO 80309 (United States)
We study the clustering properties of the first galaxies formed in the universe. We find that, due to chemical enrichment of the interstellar medium by isolated Population III stars formed in mini-halos at redshift z {approx_gt} 30, the (chronologically) first galaxies are composed of metal-poor Population II stars and are highly clustered on small scales. In contrast, chemically pristine galaxies in halos with mass M {approx} 10{sup 8} M{sub sun} may form at z < 20 in relatively underdense regions of the universe. This occurs once self-enrichment by Population III in mini-halos is quenched by the buildup of an H{sub 2} photodissociating radiative background in the Lyman-Werner bands. We find that these chemically pristine galaxies are spatially uncorrelated. Thus, we expect that deep fields with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) may detect clusters of chemically enriched galaxies but individual chemically pristine objects. We predict that metal-free galaxies at 10 {approx}< z {approx}< 15 have surface densities of about 80 arcmin{sup -2} and per unit redshift but most of them will be too faint even for JWST. However, the predicted density makes these objects interesting targets for searches behind lensing clusters.
- OSTI ID:
- 21451075
- Journal Information:
- Astrophysical Journal Letters, Vol. 716, Issue 2; Other Information: DOI: 10.1088/2041-8205/716/2/L190; ISSN 2041-8205
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
THE SPECTRAL EVOLUTION OF THE FIRST GALAXIES. I. JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE DETECTION LIMITS AND COLOR CRITERIA FOR POPULATION III GALAXIES
THE FIRST GALAXIES: ASSEMBLY OF DISKS AND PROSPECTS FOR DIRECT DETECTION