WIMP dark matter and the first stars

If weakly interactingmassive particles (WIMPs) constitute the bulk of darkmatter (DM), energy from the self-annihilation of these particles can affect Population III (Pop III) star formation via two mechanisms. Before the protostar forms, energy from DM annihilations can couple to primordial gas chemistry and slightly alter the properties of the cloud-without, however, inducing dramatic changes in the final mass of the star. Later, scattering betweenWIMPs and baryons within the protostar can in principle congregate enough DMfor annihilations, rather than nuclear reactions, to support the star against gravity. In these proceedings I briefly summarize the state of the art of the field, as well the prospects for observing such stars. © 2010 American Institute of Physics