First star formation in ultra-light particle dark matter cosmology

Understand

The formation of the first stars in the high-redshift Universe is a sensitive probe of the small-scale, particle physics nature of dark matter (DM).

• We carry out cosmological simulations of primordial star formation in ultra-light, axion-like particle DM cosmology, with masses of $10^{-22}$ and $10^{-21}\,{\rm eV}$, with de Broglie wavelengths approaching galactic scales ($\sim$kpc).
• The onset of star formation is delayed, and shifted to more massive host structures.
• For the lightest DM particle mass explored here, first stars form at $z \sim 7$ in structures with $\sim 10^9\,{\rm M}_\odot$, compared to the standard minihalo environment within the $\Lambda$ cold dark matter ($\Lambda$CDM) cosmology, where $z \sim 20 - 30$ and $\sim 10^5 - 10^6\,{\rm M}_\odot$.