The Impact of Pop III Stars on Reionization

Abstract.

As the first stars form in the universe they produce radiation and synthesize heavy elements. The former process affects the reionization of the universe and it is regulated by a series of feedbacks involving the molecular hydrogen chemical network; the second one pollutes the intergalactic medium to the levels observed in the low column density Ly$\alpha$ forest. We quantify here the relevance of the first stars for both phenomena.