An Upper Limit on the Mass of a Primordial Star due to the Formation of an HII Region: The Effect of Ionizing Radiation Force

Abstract

We analytically investigate the formation of an HII region in the accreting envelope of a newborn star. Special care is taken to examine the role of ionizing radiation force. This effect modifies velocity and density distributions and thereby affects the expansion of the HII region. As a result, the upper limit of the stellar mass imposed by the growth of an HII region around a forming star is increased by a larger factor than the previous estimate. In particular, for a star forming out of metal-free gas, this mechanism does not impose a firm upper limit on its mass.