| Abstract
| - We calculate the spin temperature and 21-cm brightness of early H ii regions around the first stars. We use outputs from cosmological radiation-hydrodynamics simulations of the formation and evolution of early H ii regions. In the pre-re-ionization era, H ii regions around massive primordial stars have diameters of a few kpc. The gas within the H ii regions is almost fully ionized, but begins recombining after the central stars die off. The relic H ii regions are then seen as bright emission sources in hydrogen 21 cm. We make brightness temperature maps of the H ii regions, accounting for radiative coupling with Lyman α photons in a simplified manner. The spin temperature in the relic H ii region is close to the gas kinetic temperature, generally several hundred to several thousand degrees. We show that the relic H ii region can be as bright as δTb∼ 100 mK in differential temperature against the cosmic microwave background for an angular resolution of subarcseconds. While individual early H ii patches will not be identified by currently planned radio telescopes, the collective fluctuations from early H ii regions might imprint signatures in the 21-cm background.
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