Formation and survival of Population III stellar systems

Understand

The initial mass function of the first, Population III (Pop III), stars plays a vital role in shaping galaxy formation and evolution in the early Universe.

• One key remaining issue is the final fate of secondary protostars formed in the accretion disc, specifically whether they merge or survive.
• We perform a suite of hydrodynamic simulations of the complex interplay between fragmentation, protostellar accretion, and merging inside dark matter minihaloes.
• Instead of the traditional sink particle method, we employ a stiff equation of state approach, so that we can more robustly ascertain the viscous transport inside the disc.