Following the Turbulent Enrichment of the High-Redshift Universe

今天观察到的所有恒星都富含前几代恒星产生的重元素(比氢或氦更重)。该项目将使用研究小组开发的新的极其精确的数值技术来跟踪元素浓缩的过程，并为第一次产生碳、氮、氧和许多其他生命所需元素的恒星世代提供新的线索。这项研究将由研究生推动，为他们提供天文学和计算物理方面的严格培训。此外，研究结果将通过公开演讲广泛传播，帮助更大的社区参与天文学的兴奋和正在进行的寻找失踪的第一代恒星的工作。为了研究第一代无重元素恒星(Pop III，Pop III)的演化，研究小组开发了一个独特的、经过仔细测试的亚格子混合模型，该模型跟踪三个量：(I)Pop III恒星产生的重元素，(Ii)后续恒星群体产生的重元素，以及(Iii)未受污染的气体部分。该项目将建立在这一能力的基础上，开发同时模拟混合、化学和辐射传输的宇宙学模拟，并进行一套跨越POP III恒星未知属性的此类模拟。与观测专家合作，该团队将应用这些结果，深入了解如何使用在银河系观察到的贫金属恒星和在高红移观测到的贫金属星系来约束未知的POP III属性。这些预测不仅将有助于解释当前的数据，还将推动下一代地面和天基望远镜的任务规划。

All stars observed today are enriched with heavy elements (heavier than hydrogen or helium) made by previous stellar generations. This project will track the process of element enrichment using new and extremely accurate numerical techniques developed by the research team and shed new light on the stellar generation that first created carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and many of the other elements necessary for life. The research will be driven by graduate students, providing them with rigorous training in astronomy and computational physics. Furthermore, the results will be disseminated broadly through the presentation of public lectures, helping to engage a larger community in the excitement of astronomy and the ongoing search for the missing first generation of stars.To study the evolution of the first generation of heavy-element free (Population III, Pop III) stars, the research team has developed a unique, carefully tested subgrid mixing model that tracks three quantities: (i) the heavy elements generated by Pop III stars, (ii) the heavy elements generated by subsequent stellar populations, and (iii) the fraction of unpolluted gas. The project would build upon this capability to develop cosmological simulations that simultaneously model mixing, chemistry, and radiative transfer and to carry out a suite of such simulations that spans the unknown properties of Pop III stars. Working with observational experts, the team will apply these results to provide insights into how unknown Pop III properties can be constrained using metal-poor stars observed in the Milky Way and metal-poor galaxies observed at high-redshift. These predictions will not only help interpret current data but will also drive mission planning for the next generation of ground- and space-based telescopes.