# The most massive Population III stars

**Authors:** Teeraparb Chantavat, Siri Chongchitnan, Joseph Silk  
**arXiv:** [2302.09763](https://arxiv.org/abs/2302.09763)  
**Date:** 2023-02-20  
**Summary page:** https://www.summarizepaper.com/en/arxiv-id/2302.09763v1/

## Key points

- Recent data from the James Webb Space Telescope has exciting prospects for detecting the earliest generation of stars at a redshift of approximately 20
- Population III stars are metal-poor and gaseous with estimated masses ranging from $10-10^3 M_\odot
- A study by Teeraparb Chantavat, Siri Chongchitnan, and Joseph Silk developed a framework to calculate the abundances of Pop III stars and explore the distribution of the most massive ones using extreme-value statistics
- The analysis indicated that at redshifts between 10 and 20, the most massive Pop III stars likely have masses around $10^3-10^4 M_\odot
- These extreme Pop III stars could potentially serve as seeds for supermassive black holes at high redshifts and be sources of detectable gravitational waves
- The study sheds light on early cosmic evolution and highlights the significant role Population III stars may have played in shaping our universe's structure

## Summary

The recent data from the James Webb Space Telescope has provided exciting prospects for detecting the earliest generation of stars at a redshift of approximately 20. These stars, known as Population III stars, are characterized by their metal-poor and gaseous nature with estimated masses falling within the range of $10-10^3 M_\odot. In a groundbreaking study by Teeraparb Chantavat, Siri Chongchitnan, and Joseph Silk, a framework was developed to calculate the abundances of these Pop III stars and explore the distribution of the most massive ones using extreme-value statistics. By leveraging the star formation rate density obtained from a recent simulation, the researchers were able to calibrate the star-formation efficiency to derive the abundances of Population III stars. Their analysis indicated that at redshifts between 10 and 20, the most massive Population III stars are likely to have masses on the order of $10^3-10^4 M_\odot. This finding suggests that these extreme Pop III stars were abundant enough to potentially serve as seeds for supermassive black holes at high redshifts and even be sources of detectable gravitational waves. This study sheds light on a crucial aspect of early cosmic evolution and highlights the significant role that Population III stars may have played in shaping our universe's structure. The implications of these findings extend beyond astrophysics, offering valuable insights into fundamental processes governing star formation and black hole growth in the early universe.