Observational Manifestations of the First Protogalaxies in the 21 cm Line

Abstract

The absorption properties of the first low-mass protogalaxies (mini-halos) forming at high redshifts in the 21-cm line of atomic hydrogen are considered. The absorption properties of these protogalaxies are shown to depend strongly on both their mass and evolutionary status. The optical depths in the line reach $\sim$0.1-0.2 for small impact parameters of the line of sight. When a protogalaxy being compressed, the influence of gas accretion can be seen manifested in a non-monotonic frequency dependence of the optical depth. The absorption characteristics in the 21-cm line are determined by the thermal and dynamical evolution of the gas in protogalaxies. Since the theoretical line width in the observer's reference frame is 1-6 kHz and the expected separation between lines 8.4 kHz, the lines from low mass protogalaxies can be resolved using ongoing and future low frequency interferometers.