Dark Stars: Begynnelsen

TL;DR

This paper explores the concept of Dark Stars, early universe stars powered by dark matter annihilation instead of fusion, highlighting the conditions necessary for their formation.

Contribution

It presents the initial conditions and mechanisms that enable dark matter-powered star formation in the early universe.

Findings

Dark matter densities must be sufficiently high

Annihilation products are trapped inside the star

Dark matter heating dominates over other processes

Abstract

The first phase of stellar evolution in the history of the universe may be Dark Stars, powered by dark matter heating rather than by fusion. Weakly interacting massive particles, which are their own antiparticles, can annihilate and provide an important heat source for the first stars in the universe. This and the following contribution present the story of Dark Stars. In this first part, we describe the conditions under which dark stars form in the early universe: 1) high dark matter densities, 2) the annihilation products get stuck inside the star, and 3) dark matter heating wins over all other cooling or heating mechanisms.