Nucleosynthesis and Evolution of Massive Metal-Free Stars

Understand

The evolution and explosion of metal-free stars with masses 10--100 solar masses are followed, and their nucleosynthetic yields, light curves, and remnant masses determined.

• When the supernova yields are integrated over a Salpeter initial mass function, the resulting elemental abundance pattern is qualitatively solar, but with marked deficiencies of odd-Z elements with 7 <= Z <= 13.
• Neglecting the contribution of the neutrino wind from the neutron stars that they make, no appreciable abundances are made for elements heavier than germanium.
• The computed pattern compares favorably with what has been observed in metal-deficient stars with [Z] ~< -3.