Generic Spectrum and Ionization Efficiency of a Heavy Initial Mass Function for the First Stars

TLDR

The study aims to calculate the generic spectral signature of an early population of massive stars at high redshifts. This is achieved by modeling the spectral output of a heavy initial mass function for metal‑free stars exceeding 300 M☉. The resulting spectrum is nearly independent of the mass distribution, resembles a ~10^5 K blackbody, and produces ionizing radiation up to an order of magnitude higher for H and He I and two orders higher for He II, leading to strong recombination lines and potentially easing the ionization of the intergalactic medium at z ≳ 6.

Abstract

We calculate the generic spectral signature of an early population of massive stars at high redshifts. For metal-free stars with mass above 300 M☉, we find that the combined spectral luminosity per unit stellar mass is almost independent of the mass distribution of these stars. To zeroth order, the generic spectrum resembles a blackbody with an effective temperature of ~105 K, making these stars highly efficient at ionizing hydrogen and helium. The production rate of ionizing radiation per stellar mass by stars more massive than ~300 M☉ is larger by ~1 order of magnitude for hydrogen and He I and by ~2 orders of magnitude for He II than the emission from a standard initial mass function. This would result in unusually strong hydrogen and helium recombination lines from the surrounding interstellar medium. It could also alleviate the current difficulty of ionizing the intergalactic medium at z ≳ 6 with the cosmic star formation rate inferred at somewhat lower redshifts.