Tootfinder

LAP1-B is the First Observed System Consistent with Theoretical Predictions for Population III Stars
#Astrophysics

LAP1-B is the First Observed System Consistent with Theoretical Predictions for Population III Stars
Recently, Nakajima et al. (2025) presented James Webb Space Telescope observations of the $z=6.6$ Population III (Pop III) candidate LAP1-B, which is gravitationally lensed by galaxy cluster MACS J0416. We argue that this is the first object to agree with three key theoretical predictions for Pop III stars: (1) formation in extremely low-metallicity halos with virial temperatures ranging from $T_{\rm vir}\sim 10^3-10^4~{\rm K}$, (2) a top-heavy initial mass function, and (3) formation of low-ma…