Population III X-Ray Binaries

TL;DR

This paper uses simulations to estimate the formation rate and X-ray emission of Population III high-mass X-ray binaries, revealing their significant role in heating the early universe's intergalactic medium and influencing cosmic signals.

Contribution

It provides the first estimates of Population III HMXB formation rates and their X-ray luminosity, highlighting their potential impact on early universe evolution.

Findings

HMXBs form at a rate of one per >10^4 solar masses of stars.

Early HMXBs emit ~10^41 erg/s in the 2-10 keV band per SFR.

Their X-ray output exceeds that of lower-redshift galaxies by two orders of magnitude.

Abstract

Understanding of the role of X-rays for driving the thermal evolution of the intergalactic medium (IGM) at high redshifts is one of important questions in astrophysics. High-mass X-ray binaries (HMXBs) in early stellar populations are prime X-ray source; however, their formation efficiency is not well understood. Using $N$-body simulations, we estimate the HMXB formation rate via mutual gravitational interactions of nascent, small groups of the Population~III stars. We find that HMXBs form at a rate of one per $\gtrsim 10^{4}M_{\odot}$ in newly born stars, and that they emit with a power of $\sim 10^{41} {\rm erg}~{\rm s}^{-1}$ in the $2-10$ keV band per star formation rate (SFR). This value is a factor $\sim 10^{2}$ larger than what is observed in star forming galaxies at lower redshifts; the X-ray production from early HMXBs would have been even more copious, if they also formed \textit{in situ} or via migration in protostellar disks. Combining our results with earlier studies suggests that early HMXBs were highly effective at heating the IGM and leaving a strong 21 cm signature. We discuss broader implications of our results, such as the rate of long gamma-ray bursts from Population~III stars and the direct collapse channel for massive black hole formation.