Speaker
Description
Population III (Pop III) stars are the first generation of stars formed in the Universe from the collapse of pristine gas left behind by the Big Bang, driving the very first cosmic chemical enrichment. Recent observations from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have revealed unexpectedly high N/O ratios at high redshifts ($z > 3$), raising a major challenge for standard Galactic Chemical Evolution (GCE) models, which often fail to reproduce these elevated nitrogen abundances without invoking extreme or fine-tuned scenarios. Since Pop III stars are capable of producing primary $^{14}\mathrm{N}$ via internal mixing mechanisms, they represent a key candidate for polluting the nitrogen enhanced Interstellar Medium (ISM) observed at high redshift. With this scenario in mind, I computed a new grid of non-rotating and rotating Pop III stellar models using the FRANEC code, followed by core collapse supernova explosions calculated with the HYPERION code. In this talk, I will focus specifically on the nitrogen production and yields, presenting the key mechanisms driving primary $^{14}\mathrm{N}$ production, which have crucial implications for interpreting the anomalous N/O ratios observed in early galaxies.