SIMBAD references

We determine the expected surface brightness and photometric signature of a white dwarf remnant population, evolved from primordial low-mass stars formed at high redshifts, in present day galactic halos. We examine the radial dependence of such a contribution as well as its redshift dependence. Such a halo diffuse radiation is below the detection limit of present large-field ground-based surveys, but should be observable with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and with the future James Webb Space Telescope project. Since the surface brightness does not depend on the distance, the integration of several galactic dark halos along the line of sight will appreciably increase the chances of detection. Either the detection or the nondetection of such a remnant diffuse radiation within relevant detection limits offers valuable information about the minimum mass for star formation in the early universe and the evolution of the stellar initial mass function.