"Unraveling the Mystery of the First Stars' Mass through Supercomputer Simulations"

Researchers at the Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Academia Sinica (ASIAA) have used supercomputer simulations to decode the birth mass of the first stars, known as Population III (Pop III) stars, in the early universe. Their findings suggest that supersonic turbulence effectively fragments star-forming clouds into clumps, each with dense cores ranging from 22 to 175 solar masses, leading to the formation of first stars with masses of about 8 to 58 solar masses. This reconciles the mass discrepancy between previous simulations and observations, providing a strong theoretical foundation for understanding the first star formation.