Abstract

The formation of the first stars, supernovae and black holes is a critical phase of cosmic evolution: the Universe was transformed from its initial simple state to a highly complex system through the injection of the first heavy elements from supernovae and the emission of light from the first stars and accreting black holes. It also witnessed the assembly of the first galaxies that, according to the hierarchical structure formation paradigm, represent the building blocks of larger system, such as our own Milky Way. Despite the remarkable advancements made in observational techniques and theoretical modelling, the nature of the first stars and black holes, and the impact they had on their environment and on the properties of the first galaxies and quasars remain largely unknown. In this talk, I will give a review of the most recent results obtained by means of theoretical models of stellar evolution and nucleosynthesis, semi-analytical and numerical modes of galaxy evolution, and detailed comparison with observational data from surveys at low and high redshifts.