Dark matter and the first stars

The first stars in the universe (Pop. III stars) mark the birth of the visible and dynamical universe, which we are familiar with: stars galaxies, clusters, etc. They are also important for reionizing the universe, creating the metals needed for subsequent populations of stars and not to mention us. They are possible seeds for super massive black holes which power quasars and are found at the center of galaxies such as the Milky Way galaxy.;In this thesis, we argue that if DM is a Weakly Interacting Massive Particle (WIMP), then DM can be an important heat source for the first stars. WIMPs are arguably from a particle physics perspective the most popular DM candidate and are being looked for in numerous experiments such as LHC, CDMS, and GLAST. DM heating would dramatically change the nature of the first stars. Stars powered by DM are larger and cooler than typical Pop. III stars. These differences would alter the metals and abundances produced by the first stars, the ionization history of the universe, and alter the formation of later stellar populations. Effects caused by stars powered by dark matter may also be tested with 21 cm line Tomography, JWST, 30 meter telescopes, Planck, and GLAST.;This thesis has been written with an anthology in mind. Thus the thesis will be organized into an introduction followed by a series of papers which will illuminate the effects which DM can have on the first stars. The first paper will argue that DM can dramatically change the formation of the first stars. The second paper discusses DM capture as an important source of DM for the first stars. The third paper tests the effectiveness of the Blumenthal method. The fourth and fifth papers look at the effects of DM upon the evolution of Pop. III stars. As a note, primordial black holes are also a popular DM candidate. The final paper looks at primordial black hole's effect upon the first stars. Thus, we argue that DM in the guise of WIMPs and primordial black holes can dramatically alter the nature of the first stars.