The First Stars and Galaxies: The Run-up to the JWST

Volker Bromm

University of Texas, Austin

How and when did the cosmic dark ages end? I discuss the physics of how the first stars and galaxies formed, within the context of cosmological structure formation. I will address their feedback on the pristine intergalactic medium, and describe ways to probe their signature with next generation facilities. I will identify the key processes and outline the major remaining uncertainties.