If dark matter is fuzzy, the first stars form in massive pancakes

TL;DR

This study simulates the formation of the first stars in fuzzy dark matter cosmology, revealing a pancake-shaped collapse that fragments into massive stars, offering observable signatures for JWST.

Contribution

First simulation of primordial star formation in fuzzy dark matter cosmology including detailed chemistry and cooling processes.

Findings

Formation results in a thin, flat gas pancake.

Pancake fragments into protostars similar to CDM.

Predicts a massive Pop III starburst observable by JWST.

Abstract

Fuzzy dark matter (FDM) is a proposed modification for the standard cold dark matter (CDM) model motivated by small-scale discrepancies in low-mass galaxies. Composed of ultra-light (mass $\sim 10^{-22}$ eV) axions with kpc-scale de Broglie wavelengths, this is one of a class of candidates that predicts that the first collapsed objects form in relatively massive dark matter halos. This implies that the formation history of the first stars and galaxies would be very different, potentially placing strong constraints on such models. Here we numerically simulate the formation of the first stars in an FDM cosmology, following the collapse in a representative volume all the way down to primordial protostar formation including a primordial non-equilibrium chemical network and cooling for the first time. We find two novel results: first, the large-scale collapse results in a very thin and flat gas "pancake"; second, despite the very different cosmology, this pancake fragments until it forms protostellar objects indistinguishable from those in CDM. Combined, these results indicate that the first generation of stars in this model are also likely to be massive and, because of the sheet morphology, do not self-regulate, resulting in a massive Pop III starburst. We estimate the total number of first stars forming in this extended structure to be $10^4$ over 20 Myr using a simple model to account for the ionizing feedback from the stars, and should be observable with JWST. These predictions provide a potential smoking gun signature of FDM and similar dark matter candidates.