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“The First Generation of Galaxies and 21cm Fluctuations” Smadar Naoz Tel Aviv University |
| The formation of the first generation of galaxies in the Universe has been studied for many years. We studied this epoch taking into account important physical ingredients. We show that these ingredients play a major role in the evolution of over-densities both in the linear and non-linear regime and on the formation and properties of the first luminous objects in the Universe. We give a detailed set of predictions for these objects, and in particular show that the first observable star was most likely to form only 30 million years after the big bang (at redshift 65), with the first Gamma ray burst exploding only a few million years later. Observations of the 21cm radiation from these epochs will help unfold the cosmic evolution of the first generation of galaxies. These observations are strongly affected by the UV radiation from stars at this era which couples the properties of the 21cm signal and the distribution of the first galaxies. Using an accurate analysis of this coupling process, including the ionized gas bubble around each galaxy, we predict a clear signature of this process. We show that such observable signatures can be used to detect and study the population of galaxies that formed as early as 200 Myr after the big bang. |