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arXiv 1301.4201astro-ph.CO
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阻尼Lyman α系统的化学富集对星族III星形成的直接制约

Chemical enrichment of Damped Lyman Alpha systems as a direct constraint on Population III star formation

Girish Kulkarni, Emmanuel Rollinde, Joseph F. Hennawi, Elisabeth Vangioni

摘要:

阻尼Ly-alpha吸收体(DLAs)可以用来测量气相金属丰度在大宇宙学回望时间与高精度。在再电离时期(z > 6)的深处,仍然可以使用Ly-alpha的红色跃迁精确地测量相对丰度。在这里,我们研究DLAs的化学演化,使用约束模型的星系和IGM的演变,以确定在何种程度上DLA丰度测量可以探测人口III富集。我们发现,如果第III族到第II族跃迁的临界金属丰度小于10^-4 Zsun,那么当z小于8时,宇宙第III族SFR为零。然而,在高红移(z ~ 6)的情况下,低质量星系(晕质量< 10^9 Msun)中仍然保留着星族III的化学特征。这是因为光电离反馈抑制了这些星系中恒星的形成,直到相对较低的红移(z ~ 10),并且保留了早期第三星族恒星形成的化学记录。我们的模型DLA作为这些星系分配给他们一个质量依赖的H I吸收截面和预测分布的DLA丰度比。我们发现,这些分布是锚定的丰度比人口II产量,但表现出一个尾巴,依赖于人口III IMF的z > 5。因此,在高红移的DLA丰度测量的样本有希望限制人口III IMF。仅10个相对丰度测量到0.1 dex精度的DLA样本就足以将人口III IMF限制在4 σ。这些限制可能比其他探测器,如贫金属恒星和单个DLAs更强。我们的研究结果提供了宇宙热,电离和化学演化的全球图景,并可以排除某些人口III的情况。

英文摘要:

Damped Ly-alpha absorbers (DLAs) can be used to measure gas-phase metallicities at large cosmological lookback times with high precision. Relative abundances can still be measured accurately deep into the reionization epoch (z > 6) using transitions redward of Ly-alpha. Here we study chemical evolution of DLAs using a constrained model for evolution of galaxies and IGM to determine the degree to which DLA abundance measurements can probe Population III enrichment. We find that if the critical metallicity of Population III to II transition is < 10^-4 Zsun, the cosmic Population III SFR is zero for z<8. Nevertheless, at high redshift (z ~ 6) Population III chemical signatures are retained in low-mass galaxies (halo mass < 10^9 Msun). This is because photoionization feedback suppresses star formation in these galaxies until relatively low redshift (z ~ 10), and the chemical record of early Population III star formation is retained. We model DLAs as these galaxies by assigning to them a mass-dependent H I absorption cross section and predict distribution of DLA abundance ratios. We find that these distributions are anchored towards abundance ratios set by Population II yields, but exhibit a tail that depends on the Population III IMF for z > 5. Thus, a sample of DLA abundance measurements at high redshift holds the promise to constrain Population III IMF. A sample of just 10 DLAs with relative abundances measured to an accuracy of 0.1 dex is sufficient to constrain the Population III IMF at 4-sigma. These constraints may prove stronger than other probes such as metal-poor stars and individual DLAs. Our results provide a global picture of the cosmic thermal, ionization, and chemical evolution, and can rule out certain Population III scenarios.

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