Related papers: Statistical physics for cosmic structures
Galaxy clusters, the most massive, dark-matter-dominated, and most recently assembled structures in the Universe, are key tools for probing cosmology. However, uncertainties in scaling relations that connect cluster mass to observables like…
New measurements of galaxy clustering and background radiations provide improved constraints on the isotropy and homogeneity of the Universe on large scales. In particular, the angular distribution of radio sources and the X-Ray Background…
The fact that galaxy distribution exhibits fractal properties is well established since twenty years. Nowadays, the controversy concerns the range of the fractal regime, the value of the fractal dimension and the eventual presence of a…
Over the last decades, cosmological simulations of galaxy formation have been instrumental for advancing our understanding of structure and galaxy formation in the Universe. These simulations follow the non-linear evolution of galaxies…
Cosmological backreaction suggests a link between structure formation and the expansion history of the Universe. In order to quantitatively examine this connection, we dynamically investigate a volume partition of the Universe into over--…
I review the observational data most relevant for large scale structure. These data determine the system of cosmological parameters: the Hubble parameter, densities of various populations of the Universe, parameters characterizing the power…
Observations of the clustering of galaxies can provide useful information about the distribution of dark matter in the Universe. In order to extract accurate cosmological parameters from galaxy surveys, it is important to understand how the…
We present a method that uses observations of galaxies to simultaneously constrain cosmological parameters and the galaxy-dark matter connection (aka halo occupation statistics). The latter describes how galaxies are distributed over dark…
Like early-type galaxies, also nearby galaxy clusters define a Fundamental Plane, a luminosity-radius, and a luminosity-velocity dispersion relations, whose physical origin is still unclear. By means of high resolution N--body simulations…
Formation of dark matter halos is sensitive to the expansion rate of the Universe and to the growth of structures under gravitational collapse. Virialization of halos heats the gaseous intra-cluster medium to high temperatures, leading to…
The galaxy correlation function serves as a fundamental tool for studying cosmology, galaxy formation, and the nature of dark matter. It is well established that more massive, redder and more compact galaxies tend to have stronger…
A review of the present observational and theoretical status of elliptical galaxies is presented with the aim to clarify whether the monolithic or the hierarchical, is a more viable scenario for the origin of these structures. We describe…
How and when the mass distribution of stars in the Galaxy is set is one of the main issues of modern astronomy. Here we present a statistical study of mass and density distributions of infrared dark clouds (IRDCs) and fragments within them.…
The rotation curves of disk galaxies exhibit a number of striking regularities. The amplitude of the rotation is correlated with luminosity (Tully-Fisher), the shape of the rotation curve is well predicted by the luminous mass distribution,…
I describe recent challenges in hierarchical galaxy formation theory, including the formation of disk galaxies and of ellipticals. Problems with cold dark matter are summarized, and possible solutions are presented. I conclude with a…
This review discusses three ways in which radio galaxies and other high-redshift objects can give us information on the nature and statistics of cosmological inhomogeneities, and how they have evolved between high redshift and the present:…
These lecture notes discuss several topics in the physics of cosmic structure formation starting from the evolution of small-amplitude fluctuations in the radiation-dominated era. The topics include relativistic cosmological perturbation…
We outline a simple approach to understanding the physical origin of bias in the distribution of galaxies relative to that of dark matter. The first step is to specify how collapsed, virialized halos of dark matter trace the overall matter…
Studies of nearby galaxies including the Milky Way have provided fundamental information on the evolution of structure in the Universe, the existence and nature of dark matter, the origin and evolution of galaxies, and the global features…
What galaxy lives in what halo? The answer to this simple question holds important information regarding galaxy formation and evolution. We describe a new statistical technique to link galaxies to their dark matter haloes, or light to mass,…