Related papers: Statistical physics for complex cosmic structures
We review a cosmology in which particles are fluctuationally created from a background Zero Point Field. This cosmology is consistent with recent observations of an ever expanding and accelerating universe, as also the recently confirmed…
The most popular tools for analysing the large scale distribution of galaxies are second-order spatial statistics such as the two-point correlation function or its Fourier transform, the power spectrum. In this review, we explain how our…
The formation of structure in the Universe offers some of the most powerful evidence in favour of the existence of dark matter in the Universe. We summarize recent work by ourselves and our collaborators, using linear and quasi-linear…
This chapter aims to present an introduction to current research on the nature of the cosmological dark matter and the origin of galaxies and large scale structure within the standard theoretical framework: gravitational collapse of…
Cosmic strings are topological defects possibly formed in the early Universe, which may be observable due to their gravitational effects on the cosmic microwave background radiation or gravitational wave experiments. To this effect it is…
Focus of these lectures is the challenge of explaining the origin of structure in the Universe. The interplay between quantum field theory and classical general relativity has given rise to several interesting cosmological models which…
Cosmic background radiation, both diffuse and discrete in nature, produced at different cosmic epochs before and after recombination, provides key information on the evolution of cosmic structures. We discuss the main classes of sources…
Galaxy formation is at the heart of our understanding of cosmic evolution. Although there is a consensus that galaxies emerged from the expanding matter background by gravitational instability of primordial fluctuations, a number of…
Analysis of three-dimensional cosmological surveys has the potential to answer outstanding questions on the initial conditions from which structure appeared, and therefore on the very high energy physics at play in the early Universe. We…
In this review, the formation, evolution, and decay of the large-scale structure of the Universe is discussed in the context of observational data, numerical simulations, and the Cosmological Standard Model (CSM). Problems concerning…
For a precise determination of cosmological parameters we need to understand the effects of the local large-scale structure of the Universe on the measurements. They include modifications of the cosmic microwave background, distortions of…
Theoretical models for structure formation with Gaussian initial fluctuations have been worked out in considerable detail and compared with observations on various scales. It is on nonlinear scales $\lsim 10 \ h^{-1}\ {\rm Mpc}$ that the…
We discuss the use of galaxies to trace the large-scale structure of the universe and thereby to make cosmological inferences. We put special emphasis on our lack of knowledge about the relative distribution of galaxies and the dynamically…
The large scale distribution of galaxies in the universe displays a complex pattern of clusters, super-clusters, filaments and voids with sizes limited only by the boundaries of the available samples. A quantitative statistical…
The statistical analysis of cosmic large-scale structure is most often based on simple two-point summary statistics, like the power spectrum or the two-point correlation function of a sample of galaxies or other types of tracers. In…
Recent cosmic microwave background data in temperature and polarization have reached high precision in estimating all the parameters that describe the current so-called standard cosmological model. Recent results about the integrated…
Cosmological and astrophysical surveys in various wavebands, in particular from the radio to the far-infrared, offer a unique view of the universe's properties and the formation and evolution of its structures. After a preamble on the…
There is evidence of a scale-invariant matter distribution up to scales over 10 Megaparsecs. We review scaling (fractal or multifractal) models of large scale structure and their observational evidence. We conclude that the dynamics of…
Magnetic fields are observed not only in stars, but in galaxies, clusters, and even high redshift Lyman-alpha systems. In principle, these fields could play an important role in structure formation and also affect the anisotropies in the…
Current data broadly support trends of galaxy surface brightness profile amplitude and shape with total stellar mass predicted by state-of-the-art Lambda-CDM cosmological simulations, although recent results show signs of interesting…