Distortion of the CMB spectrum by the first molecules of the Dark Ages

Abstract

The formation of first stars and galaxies at the Cosmic Dawn had been preceded by the chain of primordial chemistry reactions during Dark Ages which generated first molecules, mostly H$_2$, HD, and HeH$^+$, so crucial for first stars to emerge. These molecules absorbed and scattered CMB quanta this way distorting CMB spectrum. Estimate how much bound-bound transitions between the rovibrational levels of H$_2$, HD, and HeH$^+$ molecules contribute to the distortion of CMB spectrum in the standard $\Lambda$CDM cosmology. We describe the kinetics of the formation of the first molecules with system of 166 chemical reactions involving 20 reagents. The system of differential equations is solved to describe the processes of spontaneous and collisional transitions between rovibrational levels of H$_2$, HD, and HeH$^+$ molecules. The populations of rovibrational levels and optical thickness of the gas in transition lines between these levels were used to estimate the differential brightness produced by the first molecules on the cosmic microwave background. It is shown that the signal from the first molecules in the standard $\Lambda$CDM cosmology takes the form of an absorption profile in the CMB spectrum and originates from the Dark Ages. H$_2$ shows multiple peaks, peaking at $\sim 10^{-3}$ Jy/sr between 50-120 GHz, with absorption from $300>z>200$. HD has double peaks, reaching $\sim 10^{-5}$ Jy/sr between 40-70 GHz, with absorption from $300>z>30$. HeH$^+$ has no features, peaks at $\sim 10^{-7}$ Jy/sr between 200-800 GHz, and absorbs mainly from $100>z>4$.