Dark Stars as a Candidate Explanation for Compact, Luminous Sources at High Redshift

Recent observations of the high-redshift universe have revealed compact, highly luminous sources that challenge conventional models of early star formation, galaxy assembly, and black hole growth. This paper evaluates the dark star hypothesis as a candidate explanation for these observations. The analysis is intentionally conservative, emphasizing observational consistency, model degeneracies, and explicit falsification criteria rather than confirmation. Dark stars are not assumed to exist, nor are they privileged over alternative explanations. Instead, this work clarifies the conditions under which dark stars remain viable and defines observational tests capable of supporting or rejecting the hypothesis. The framework is designed to guide interpretation of forthcoming high-redshift data while minimizing theoretical bias.