Constraining First Star Formation with 21 cm Cosmology

Within standard ΛCDM cosmology, Population III star formation in minihalos of mass Mhalo ≳ 5 × 105M⊙ provides the first stellar sources of Lyα photons. The Experiment to Detect the Global Epoch of Reionization Signature (EDGES) has measured a strong absorption signal of the redshifted 21 cm radiation from neutral hydrogen at z ≈ 17, requiring efficient formation of massive stars before then. In this Letter, we investigate whether star formation in minihalos plays a significant role in establishing the early Lyα background required to produce the EDGES absorption feature. We find that Population III stars are important in providing the necessary Lyα-flux at high redshifts, and derive a best-fitting average Population III stellar mass of ∼750 M⊙ per minihalo, corresponding to a star formation efficiency of 0.1%. Furthermore, it is important to include baryon-dark matter streaming velocities in the calculation, to limit the efficiency of Population III star formation in minihalos. Without this effect, the cosmic dawn coupling between 21 cm spin temperature and that of the gas would occur at redshifts higher than what is implied by EDGES.