Primordial star clusters at extreme magnification

• Gravitationally lensed galaxies with magnification mu approximate to 10-100 are routinely detected at high redshifts, but magnifications significantly higher than this are hampered by a combination of low probability and large source sizes. Magnifications of mu similar to 1000 may none the less be relevant in the case of intrinsically small, high-redshift objects with very high number densities. Here, we explore the prospects of detecting compact (less than or similar to 10 pc), high-redshift (z greater than or similar to 7) Population III star clusters at such extreme magnifications in large-area surveys with planned telescopes like Euclid, Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope and Wide-field Imaging Surveyor for High-redshift (WISH). We find that the planned WISH 100 deg(2) ultradeep survey may be able to detect a small number of such objects, provided that the total stellar mass of these star clusters is greater than or similar to 10(4) M-circle dot. If candidates for such lensed Population III star clusters are found, follow-up spectroscopy of the surrounding nebula with the James Webb Space Telescope or ground-based Extremely Large Telescopes should be able to confirm the Population III nature of these objects. Multiband photometry of these objects with the James Webb Space Telescope also has the potential to confirm that the stellar initial mass function in these Population III star clusters is top-heavy, as supported by current simulations.

Ämnesord

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Fysik (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Physical Sciences (hsv//eng)

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Fysik -- Astronomi, astrofysik och kosmologi (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Physical Sciences -- Astronomy, Astrophysics and Cosmology (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

gravitational lensing: strong

stars: Population III

galaxies: high-redshift

dark ages

reionization

first stars

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