The effects of Population III stars on the chemical and photometrical evolution of ellipticals

We have studied the effects of a hypothetical initial generation containing very massive stars [ M > 100 M ⊙ , pair‐creation supernovae] on the chemical and photometric evolution of elliptical galaxies. To this purpose, we have computed the evolution of a typical elliptical galaxy with luminous mass of the order of 10 11 M ⊙ and adopted chemical evolution models already tested to reproduce the main features of ellipticals. We have tested several sets of yields for very massive zero‐metallicity stars: these stars should produce quite different amounts of heavy elements than lower‐mass stars. We found that the effects of Population III stars on the chemical enrichment is negligible if only one or two generations of such stars occurred, whereas they produce quite different results from the standard models if they continuously formed for a period not shorter than 0.1 Gyr. In this case, the results are at variance with the main observational constraints of ellipticals such as the average [〈α/ Fe〉 * ] ratio in stars and the integrated colours. Therefore, we conclude that if Population III stars ever existed they must have been present for a very short period of time and their effects on the following evolution of the parent galaxy must have been negligible. This effect is minimum if a more realistic model with initial infall of gas rather than the classic monolithic model is adopted. Ultimately, we conclude that there is no need to invoke a generation of very massive stars in ellipticals to explain their chemical and photometric properties.