input: Write a function to find and return the first n prime numbers using the Sieve of Eratosthenes algorithm. If n is 0, return an empty list. The function should handle edge cases, such as when n is negative or when n is greater than the total number of prime numbers within the range.
  def first_n_primes(n):
      if n <= 0:
          return []
      limit = n * 10  # Arbitrary upper limit
      sieve = [True] * limit
      sieve[0] = sieve[1] = False
      for start in range(2, int(limit**0.5) + 1):
          if sieve[start]:
              for multiple in range(start*start, limit, start):
                  sieve[multiple] = False
      primes = [num for num, is_prime in enumerate(sieve) if is_prime][:n]
      return primes
  
  assert first_n_primes(0) == []
  assert first_n_primes(1) == [2]
  assert first_n_primes(5) == [2, 3, 5, 7, 11]
  assert first_n_primes(10) == [2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, 29]
  assert first_n_primes(-3) == []
output: def first_n_primes(n):
      if n <= 0:
          return []
      limit = n * 10  # Arbitrary upper limit
      sieve = [True] * limit
      sieve[0] = sieve[1] = False
      for start in range(2, int(limit**0.5) + 1):
          if sieve[start]:
              for multiple in range(start*start, limit, start):
                  sieve[multiple] = False
      primes = [num for num, is_prime in enumerate(sieve) if is_prime][:n]
      return primes