First Light: Switching on Stars at the Dawn of Time

TL;DR

This paper reviews methods for exploring the universe's first stars and galaxies, highlighting recent advancements like 21 cm cosmology and JWST observations to fill the missing billion years of cosmic history.

Contribution

It summarizes key observational techniques and recent discoveries related to the first stars and galaxies, emphasizing the importance of new telescopes and methods.

Findings

Development of methods for detecting primordial hydrogen

Use of James Webb Space Telescope to observe early galaxies

Advancement in understanding the universe's first billion years

Abstract

The Era of the First Stars is one of the last unknown frontiers for exploration: a poorly understood billion years missing from our cosmological timeline. We have now developed several methods for finally filling in the lost billion years of the history of our Universe: stellar archaeology, detecting primordial hydrogen using 21 cm cosmological emission, and observing the earliest galaxies, most recently using the James Webb Space Telescope. This review will summarise why the first stars and galaxies are unique and worthy of observation, and the methods employed by the groundbreaking telescopes aiming to detect them.