Abstract
We illustrate the observability of the end stages of the earliest (Population III) stars at high redshifts z gtrsim 10, using the recently observed transient, GN-z11-flash as an example. We find that the observed spectrum of this transient is consistent with its originating from a shock-breakout in a Population III supernova occurring in the GN-z11 galaxy at z sim 11. The energetics of the explosion indicate a progenitor star of mass sim 300 M_{odot } in that galaxy, with of order unity such events expected over an observing timescale of a few years. We forecast the expected number of such transients from z > 10 galaxies as a function of their host stellar mass and star formation rate. Our findings are important in the context of future searches to detect and identify the signatures of galaxies at Cosmic Dawn.
Highlights
The first stars in the Universe are believed to be massive, metal-free Population III (Pop III) stars [1,5], which synthesized heavy elements through their supernova explosions and played a major role in the chemical evolution of the early Universe
We find that the observed spectrum of this transient is consistent with its originating from a shock-breakout in a Population III supernova occurring in the GNz11 galaxy at z ∼ 11
We examine the scenario in which this transient originated from the shock breakout taking place in a supernova explosion during the end stages of a 300 M Population III (Pop III) star in the galaxy
Summary
The first stars in the Universe are believed to be massive, metal-free Population III (Pop III) stars [1,5], which synthesized heavy elements (such as C, O, Ne, Mg, Si, and Fe) through their supernova explosions and played a major role in the chemical evolution of the early Universe. We describe the observability of such explosions from very high redshifts in future searches such as with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), using the recently published rest-frame ultraviolet flash reported by [17] as a example. GN-z11-flash—a rest-frame ultraviolet flash with an observed duration of a few hundred seconds—was recently reported [17] from GN-z11, a luminous, star forming galaxy situated at z ∼ 11. We examine the scenario in which this transient originated from the shock breakout taking place in a supernova explosion during the end stages of a 300 M Population III (Pop III) star in the galaxy.. The observed star formation rate [16,31] of the GN-z11 galaxy (∼ 26 M /yr) with a top heavy IMF (characteristic of the first stars) is consistent with ∼ 1 Pop III supernova observed every few years. Our findings serve as a pointer towards informing the searches and follow-up of such transients by the JWST and similar missions
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
