The role of dust in the early universe. I. Protogalaxy evolution

Abstract

We develop one-zone galaxy formation models in the early universe, taking into account dust formation and evolution by supernova (SN) explosions. We focus on the time evolution of dust size distribution, because H2 formation on the dust surface plays a critical role in the star formation process in the early universe. In the model, we assume that star formation rate (SFR) is proportional to the total amount of H2. We consistently treat (1) the formation and size evolution of dust, (2) the chemical reaction networks including H2 formation both on the surface of dust and in gas phase, and (3) the SFR in the model. First, we find that, because of dust destruction due to both reverse and forward shocks driven by SNe, H2 formation is more suppressed than in situations without such dust destruction. At the galaxy age of 0.8 Gyr, for galaxy models with virial mass M vir = 109 M and formation redshift z vir = 10, the molecular fraction is 2.5 orders of magnitude less in the model with dust destruction by both shocks than that in the model without dust destruction. Second, we show that the H2 formation rate strongly depends on the interstellar medium (ISM) density around SN progenitors. The SFR in higher ISM density is lower, since dust destruction by reverse shocks is more effective in higher ISM density. We conclude that not only the amount but also the size distribution of dust related to star formation activity strongly affects the evolution of galaxies in the early universe. © 2011. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved..