Formation of massive stars at low metallicity: predictions, observations and expectations

Abstract

Star formation at very low metallicity is expected to produce only massive stars. This is a result of the low cooling rate. Hydrodynamical simulations of star formation from zero metallicity gas suggest that the first stars had masses in excess of about 10²M_{[odot ]}. These stars can not be observed because of their large redshift and their very short lifetime. However, a similar (but not the same) effect might be observable in regions of star formation close to very luminous radiation sources, where intense radiation may destroy dust and CO molecules in starforming clouds. Such clouds will be warmer than in normal metal rich star forming regions because of the reduced cooling, which is then predominantly due to H₂ and atomic C and O. Under those conditions star formation may result in the formation of high mass stars without the normal large numbers of accompanying low mass stars. Observations show that this process may occur close to the centre of the interacting galaxy M51, where the intense radiation of the nuclear starburst and the small dust content destroyed molecular CO in star forming regions. HST observations of this region show the presence of about 30 massive stars, of $25\textlessM\textless 150 M\odot$, without the accompanying clusters of low mass stars.