Exploring the Edge of the Stellar Universe with Gamma-Ray Observations

The determination of the densities of intergalactic photons from the FIR to the UV produced by stellar emission and dust reradiation at various redshifts can provide an independent measure of the star formation history of the universe. High energy gamma-rays can annihilate with FIR-UV photons to produce electron-positron pairs which result in high-end absorption cutoffs in the gamma-ray spectra of extragalactic sources. Future measurements of such absorption in the spectra of extragalactic high energy gamma-ray sources at higher redshifts from detectors such as the (soon to be launched) GLAST space telescope can be used to determine intergalactic photon densities in the distant past, thereby shedding light on the history of star formation and galaxy evolution. (abridged),