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Title

The metallicity of pregalactic globular clusters: the observational consequences of the first stars

Author(s)

Beasley, Michael A.;  Kawata, Daisuke;  Pearce, Frazer R.;  Forbes, Duncan A.;  Gibson, Brad K.

Abstract

We explore a scenario in which metal-poor globular clusters (GCs) are enriched by the first supernovae in the universe. If the first stars in a 107 Msolar dark halo were very massive (>180 Msolar), then a pair-instability supernova from a single massive star could produce sufficient iron to enrich 106 Msolar of pristine, primordial gas to [Fe/H]~-2. In such a scenario, in which a single massive star acts as a seed for halo GCs, an accurate abundance analysis of GC stars would allow us to directly measure the Population III initial mass. Using the latest theoretical yields for zero-metallicity stars in the mass range of 140-260 Msolar, we find that the metals expelled from an ~230 Msolar star are consistent with [Si/Fe] and [Ca/Fe] observed in GC stars. However, no single star in this mass range can simultaneously explain all halo GC heavy-element abundance ratios, such as [V/Fe], [Ti/Fe], and [Ni/Fe]. These require a combination of masses for the Population III stellar progenitors. The various observational consequences of this scenario are discussed.

Publication type

Journal article

Research centre

Swinburne University of Technology. Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing

Source

Astrophysical Journal Letters, Vol. 596, no. 2 (Oct 2003), pp. L187-L190

Publication year

2004

Keyword(s)

Abundances;  Early universe;  Globular clusters;  Star formation

Publisher

University of Chicago Press

ISSN

0004-637X

Publisher URL

http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/379531

Copyright

Copyright © 2003 The American Astronomical Society. Paper reproduced here in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher.

Full text

Peer reviewed